Meeting the Parents
by Binky Bridgewater
Summary: Everybody has to go through it some time or another, even Shizuma. Still, how many people can say they had to go through what she is going to have to endure in this torture chamber? You asked for it and now it's here people! Sequel to One Hot Summer.
1. Welcome! Sort of?

**Author's Note:** _Surprise! My valentine to all my readers who were waiting for this. I just suddenly got the idea to write this for valentine's day like, the day before valentine's day! I took more than a month of rest and now it's time I start writing for Strawberry Panic once more! So this is it, the first chapter of the sequel to One Hot Summer. Read, Review, Rejoice!_

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**Chapter 1:  
**_**Welcome! **__**Sort of…?  
**_

Shizuma sped down the busy streets in her silver Ferrari Enzo. The bright afternoon sun was reflected off the rims of her expensive shades. She was traveling at ridiculous speeds which made it amazing how easily she turned off the road onto a familiar path. She switched from a busy road setting to a forest pathway.

The silver haired beauty pulled up to some large gates. She checked her watch as it read 2:00. "_I was in such a rush I ended up being an hour early._" Shizuma laughed at herself.

She remembered when this place was her sanctuary, the place she grew to think of as her second home. Astraea Hill really did hold some good memories for her. She got out of her car and leaned against the door, allowing her silver mane to flow with the wind. She drew a deep breath and sighed, "I guess I'll do some reminiscing while I wait."

Just as she entered the school gates, she garnered the attention of all the students around. Miator, Spica, and Lulim students alike were all amazed. It was only two more weeks until the summer break ended and a lot of the students had already returned.

"_Isn't that Etoile-sama?_"

"_She graduated. Now she's Hanazono-sama remember?_"

"_Still, what's she doing here? You don't think she's looking for-_"

"_Shh! She might hear us. But probably._"

Shizuma walked in knowing full well that the students would whisper and spread rumors. They did it when she was a student, why wouldn't they do it now? Still, she didn't care. Shizuma walked past them as if she heard nothing, just as she always did.

"Ah, Hanazono-san! It's nice to see you here." A nun greeted. "It's always nice when one of Miator's best students decide to visit. Well, maybe I shouldn't say best after the commotion you caused during the Etoile elections."

Shizuma laughed. "Ah, sister Nibitsu. Thanks for sticking up to the Head Sister for me, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been allowed to graduate."

"That wouldn't have been so bad though."

"Huh?"

"That would have been another year attending Miator with ."

"I didn't think about it like that." Shizuma considered. "Is it too late for me to come back?" she joked.

Sister Nibitsu laughed. "Don't forget that you need an escort before you're allowed to enter the school. I'll be your guide if you want me to."

"That's okay. I didn't plan on going inside. Nagisa would probably get mad if she saw me roaming the school at this time.

"Is that so? Well, see you then." Sister Nibitsu waved goodbye and continued on her way.

Shizuma spent her time visiting places of meaning to her. She went to the Etoile garden to ensure it was still being well kept. She visited the tree that held the most memories for her. It was where she and Kaori consummated their love for the first time and also where she first met Nagisa. By the time she was finished, she checked her watch once more.

"Crap, 3:25! Now I'm late!"

Shizuma rushed back through the forest, hoping that Nagisa would run a few minutes late. Sadly, her wish did not come true as she was met by an impatient red head standing in front of the gates.

"Geez Shizuma. Where were you?" Nagisa asked with a slight bit of anxiety.

Shizuma pressed the button on her key which opened all the doors at once, choosing to remain silent. She slid behind the wheel and closed the door behind her. Nagisa followed suit on the passenger's side.

"Seriously Shizuma, where were you?" Nagisa asked again.

"Don't worry, I was just reminiscing on the good times."

Nagisa giggled.

"What?"

"It's nothing." She giggled again.

"If it was nothing you wouldn't be laughing so much." Shizuma argued as she pulled her car out onto the road.

"It's just that you sounded old like my dad when you said that just now."

Shizuma continued to keep her eyes on the road. "Nagisa."

"Hmm."

"Please don't ever say that to me again."

The ride was pretty quiet. The closer they got to their destination, the more nervous they became until finally they arrived.

The Aoi household. Shizuma was about to come face to face with Nagisa's parents. It was the first time she actually worried about what someone thought of her. She checked her watch once more.

Shizuma sighed in relief. "It's only 4:03."

"4:03! This is bad, we're late." Nagisa panicked.

"By three minutes." Shizuma noted.

"I told you that my mom is really particular with time."

"Nobody's that bad." Shizuma considered.

Nagisa grumbled a bit before she opened the door. "I'm home!" Nagisa called.

She advanced further inside and removed her shoes, followed closely by Shizuma. Nagisa walked into the kitchen cautiously while Shizuma examined the room.

"They're not in here." Nagisa sighed.

Shizuma walked around inspecting everything. She looked inside the pot on the stove, then in the fridge, then in the cabinets. "This is the first time I've been in a house so small." Shizuma commented while twirling a small cup in her palms.

"So sorry that our home isn't as large as you're used to." a voice called from behind causing Shizuma to almost drop the cup. Thankfully she didn't. In Shizuma's mind, the voice sounded like it belonged to an angel.

"Mama!" Nagisa yelled excitedly as she ran into her mother's embrace.

Shizuma turned quickly, and there she was. One of the most beautiful women Shizuma had ever laid eyes on now stood before her. She had long cherry-red hair that reached down to the small of her back, which she kept tied. Her eyes were also the same color as Nagisa's and they were just as wide and full of youth. Shizuma turned away from the woman and slapped her hands together. "_Please God. Please let this be a glimpse of the future!_" she prayed with all her might.

She turned back towards Mrs. Aoi with her best flirty smile. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Aoi. My name is Hanazono, Shizuma. I've heard so much about you." She extended a hand.

Nagisa's mother smiled. "My name is Aoi, Yumiko. Likewise." She shook Shizuma's hand and proceeded to take a seat at the dinner table, followed by Nagisa.

Shizuma also followed suit, but with a slightly puzzled expression on her face as she inspected her hand. "_I'm sure I felt a cold chill or a shock just now._ _Was I imagining things?_"

She looked over at Mrs. Aoi who only returned a smile at her. Her face seemed cherubic, but her smile seemed to hold something sinister behind it. But again, maybe Shizuma was imagining things.

"Nagisa." the woman spoke softly. "Would you mind calling your father from upstairs? Tell him our guest has arrived."

"Okay." Nagisa complied like an innocent young child. She ran upstairs, leaving her lover and her mother in the kitchen.

Shizuma attempted conversation with the elder cherry-head to break the awkward silence. "I would easily have mistaken you for Nagisa's sister."

"First you arrive three minutes and twenty-seven seconds late, then you inspect my house, and now you attempt empty flattery. First impressions aren't you're strong suit are they?" the woman maintained a calm and cool demeanor as she spoke. Her voice was even, still maintaining its angelic ring.

Shizuma was silent. No, she was more at a lost for words. Surely the saintly woman that sat in front of her weren't saying these things. And then the comments got worse.

"I admit, you are very gutsy to come. No maybe I should say foolish. Surely you don't think that I'll hand my precious daughter over to the likes of you. My daughter has told me many, many things about you and quite frankly, I don't like what I'm hearing."

"Maybe if you got to know me on a personal level." Shizuma reasoned.

"I don't like you either. As a matter of fact, maybe it'll be best if I just-" suddenly she stopped in the middle of her sentence as she heard the sound of footsteps on the creaky staircase.

Nagisa emerged from the staircase followed by a man about the age of forty five. He had short messy black hair and auburn eyes. His age was only made apparent by a gray patch that hung on his forehead and the slight wrinkles in the corner of his eyes. Still, he was handsome. He seemed both serious and slightly nervous at the same time.

He sat down at the table while his wife got some bowls and started serving the food she had prepared before Shizuma and Nagisa had arrived. The meal was uneventful since everyone remained quiet.

When everyone was finished eating Mrs. Aoi tidied up and everyone moved to the living room. This was the first time Mr. Aoi spoke for the day.

"Hanazono, Shizuma was it?" he asked, still a bit nervous.

"Right." Shizuma tried to keep her cool. This of course was hard to accomplish as she felt Mrs. Aoi's piercing glare like daggers going through her.

"I understand that you just came off the flight this morning."

"That's correct."

"Do you have a place to stay yet? If not, you're welcomed to stay here for a week or two."

"That's alright. I was going to stay in a hotel not too far from here."

"It would be more convenient if you stayed here rather than make trips back and forth from here to some hotel." he bargained.

"Please can you stay here?" Nagisa pleaded.

"It's just that…"

"Are you really going to reject the offer after Nagisa's asked you so kindly? I would hope not." Mrs. Aoi added. The hidden threat in her voice seemed apparent to only Shizuma.

"Of course not. I'll stay here if that's what you all really want." Shizuma replied uneasily.

"Great! We can talk more tomorrow and get to know you better. But we recently got off our flight so right now I'm still kind of tired, so if you'll excuse me." Mr. Aoi yawned and returned upstairs. It was still the middle of the afternoon, but they're flight lasted for just over a day and he was tired.

Mrs. Aoi dashed to the kitchen and returned holding a sharp butcher's knife. "What's that for?" Nagisa questioned.

"Just in case I have to use it tonight. Well Hanazono-san, enjoy your stay here and see you in the morning…"

Shizuma gulped. Mrs. Aoi glided past her, but just before she was out of earshot, she whispered something to Shizuma. "…_If you survive the night._" Shizuma felt chills run up her spine. What has she gotten herself into?

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**Author's Note:** _It's 1:21 valentine's day morning and I've got school today so I better catch some sleep. But, please look forward to more releases soon. The poll's still open, but obviously it won't make sense picking this story anymore. Still, feel free to vote. See you next chapter, and don't forget to review!_


	2. Family Bonding

**Author's Note:** _As most of you have been able to tell, this story focuses more on comedy than drama right now. That's because I felt like I needed to lighten the mood a little bit in contrast to the prequel One Hot Summer which was mostly drama. So without further ado here it is, Chapter 2! Read, Review, Rejoice!_

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**Chapter 2:  
**_**Family Bonding  
**_

Nagisa was up early the next morning making breakfast for her parents and her beloved Shizuma. She could barely sleep the night before, she was just so excited! Their guest room was under renovations so Shizuma had to sleep in Nagisa's room. Though, she wasa bit surprised at Shizuma's maturity. The silver-haired nymphomaniac didn't touch her the entire night which made Nagisa very proud that Shizuma was showing some kind of control. That's why Nagisa decided to surprise her with her favorite egg and cheese omelet with a side of French toast with strawberry jam. She liked the simple meals more than the overly complicated breakfast platters her chefs back home would make.

The cherry-head hummed away in front of the frying pan not even realizing Shizuma groggily descending the staircase. She intuitively woke up and followed the scent of her favored breakfast meal to the kitchen.

"Mmm, how lucky am I! My favorite thing to eat in the morning, and she's cooking me breakfast." she mused as she walked up behind Nagisa.

Instinctively Nagisa twirled around and threw her arms around Shizuma's shoulders. She kissed her lover's cheek, careful not to start anything when her parents could come down at any minute. As she drew away, she noticed something strange on Shizuma's face. "Where'd you get that cut and why do you look so tired?"

Shizuma looked at Nagisa quizzically. "What cut?"

"This one… right here!" Nagisa said as she placed a finger over a red scrape just below Shizuma's eye.

Shizuma pulled away quickly and winced. "That stings!" She looked in the kitchen mirror and scanned over her face. "This sucks, first I barely slept at all last night and now I find a bruise on my face."

"Hmm, why couldn't you sleep?" Nagisa asked concerned.

Shizuma rubbed her temples trying to calm down a developing headache. "Half the time, I kept having this nightmare that someone was standing over me with a knife saying, _"I would've killed you if I wasn't afraid your screams would wake up Nagisa."_ And if that wasn't weird enough, I could've sworn I felt something cold going over my skin and that same voice saying, _"Give me a reason."_ It was so creepy." Shizuma felt her skin crawl even remembering it. She recognized the voice but she couldn't quite remember who it belonged to.

Nagisa giggled, "That's a weird dream."

Shizuma used the opening to wrap her arms around Nagisa's waist and pulled her younger lover into an embrace. She whispered in the cherry-head's ear, "Kiss me, I might still be dreaming."

Just as her lips were about to meet Nagisa's, a very familiar butcher's knife flew between them and embedded itself into the wall behind them.

"I'm so sorry! It must have slipped!" an angelic voice called from the doorway.

Mrs. Aoi flashed a smirk as she brushed past Shizuma and dislodged the knife. "No one got hurt, did they?" she feigned concern.

"We're okay. Right Shizuma."

"Yea, we're fine."

"_Tch!"_ Mrs. Aoi whispered under her breath.

Shizuma's hearing was keen but she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Am I the only one who heard that just now!"

"Heard what?" Mrs. Aoi played dumb in her usual appeal.

"I didn't hear anything." Nagisa added.

"Just now, when I said I was fine, she went _"Tch."_ You can't tell me you didn't hear that."

Nagisa tilted her head in concern and asked, "Are you feeling alright Shizuma?" She said that, but the look in her eyes were more like, _"Have you been taking pills?" _

"Nagisa, I'm not crazy!" Shizuma defended, her voice gradually getting louder. She slammed her fist on the nearby kitchen counter to release some of the anger. Nagisa flinched at the sound of her fist hitting the hard, steel countertop.

"Oh my! I had no idea Shizuma-san was the violent type." Mrs. Aoi pretended to be shocked.

"She's not usually this way, she just hasn't been getting much sleep lately." Nagisa reasoned. "Right Shizuma."

By this time, Shizuma was holding her head trying to calm an eruption of a migraine. Her head was throbbing and the wound beneath her eye reopened and started to bleed. "I think I better go lay down."

"But what about breakfast? It's your favorite, you can't just miss it."

"Don't worry about me."

"You want me to save you some then?"

"That'll be too much trouble. Don't worry about it, it's just as you said. I just need some rest right. I'll be fine."

Hesitantly Nagisa agreed and Shizuma slowly ascended back up the stairs. On the contrary, Mr. Aoi was just coming downstairs and he was full of energy. "Ah, good mornin' Shizuma-san!"

Shizuma weakly returned his greeting and continued to head to bed. It worried him a bit but he shrugged it off and went into the kitchen.

"What's shakin', bacon?" He kissed his wife. She returned the gesture.

"Morning honey."

He went over to Nagisa. "What's cookin' good-lookin'?" He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead while she giggled.

It wasn't often the family was together since Mr. Aoi usually has to travel on business and he always takes Yumiko (Mrs. Aoi) with him. Nagisa didn't like all the traveling when she was younger, she was never able to make much friends before she had to move again. That's one of the reasons she transferred into St. Miator, it was the only way her parents would let her stay in Japan without them.

"I'm making egg and cheese omelets with French toast."

"That sounds delicious!"

"It's Shizuma's favorite."

"Oh, then why's she going back to bed?"

"She isn't feeling too well." Mrs. Aoi intruded.

"Is that so? That's a shame then."

Nagisa turned off the stove. "It's finished! You guys can sit at the table, I'll serve the breakfast."

Nagisa's mother pat her head, "You're still such a sweet kid." She blushed at the compliment and started taking up breakfast.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shizuma was in the upstairs bathroom washing her face in cold water. Her migraine calmed down and she was just trying cool herself off. She just wasn't used to this, all this stress. She had such an easy lifestyle between being rich and beautiful. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter.

Shizuma sighed. She washed over the open wound, dried her face, and put a bandage over the cut. She walked back into the room she and Nagisa were sharing and opened up one of her bags. The silver haired casanova pulled out a playboy she brought with her just in case of an 'emergency'. Shizuma through herself on the bed and flipped through the pages.

"Just like I thought. It's no fun skimming through old issues." She sighed again and threw the magazine to the side.

She rolled over on her stomach and groaned to herself, "Only because it's Nagisa. That's the only reason I'll try to endure.", just before she nodded to sleep.

* * *

"Man that was some good breakfast!" Nagisa's father exclaimed while rubbing some stubble under his chin.

Mrs. Aoi gathered the empty plates from the table and took them into the kitchen. She quickly returned with three cups of tea and passed one of to her beloved husband and one off to her darling daughter.

"Thanks honey!" He kissed her cheek. He took a sip of his tea and suddenly his face turned sober. "Nagisa, I have some very important questions to ask you and I need you to answer them to the best of your ability. Can you do that for me?"

Nagisa innocently lifted her cup and sipped from her tea, not realizing the seriousness of the atmosphere. "I'll try.", she said still sipping from her tea.

"Well, here goes then." He sighed. "Nagisa, when you met Shizuma, was she a virgin?"

Nagisa froze up at the question. Should she tell? Well, if Shizuma was there she would have answered them honestly, she's cool like that. It shouldn't be a problem.

"No, she wasn't."

At that moment Mrs. Aoi discretely grabbed the edge of the table and squeezed it in a vice grip, leaving cracks and indentations while still keeping a calm smile and cool visage.

"Nagisa, are you still a virgin?"

Nagisa nearly spat at the question. She shifted a bit getting nervous, wondering if she should tell her parents the truth or not. She never lied to them before, even when she broke her mother's favorite vase she didn't try to hide it. So why was telling them the truth this time so hard? Was she scared she might have become a disappointment to them?

She spoke slowly and uneasily. "I… kinda… lost it."

"Don't say lost it unless you don't know who took it. Now, do you know who took it?" Mr. Aoi eased her through the questioning even though both he and her mother knew some of the answers already. They just wanted her to tell them.

Nagisa simply nodded keeping her eyes focused in her lap, afraid to meet her parents' gaze.

"Was it Shizuma?"

She nodded again.

Mrs. Aoi asked, "How many times have you done _it_ since then?" her grip on the table was getting harder and harder with anticipation, deepening the cracks and crevices her hand left.

"I… don't remember."

She wasn't lying. How can she be expected to remember the exact number when her lover is Shizuma, the play-girl Casanova of Astraea Hill? She could only recount the moments of pure passion and raw emotion, how she felt, how Shizuma felt, the ecstasy, and it was all _so good_! Their countless escapades during the few weeks between the Etoile elections and Shizuma's graduation were all memorable. It's hard for her to think there was a place they hadn't gotten intimate. The library, the garden, by the lake, under the tree they first met by, even once in the Head Sister's office while she was away where they almost got caught. Not to mention almost everyday in Shizuma's room, much to Miyuki's distraught. They tried a few times in Nagisa's room, but somehow Tamao always walked in before things got good.

Nagisa blushed just remembering the time from just a few days ago in Okinawa. The words accidentally slipped out. "Too many to count."

She quickly covered her mouth hoping her parents hadn't heard her. Sadly it was in vain, since her words practically boomed and echoed in both of her parents' thoughts. Her father did a spit-take all over the table where he was so caught by surprise.

Mrs. Aoi was smart. She slid her hand off the table knowing that she would break it with how lethal her grip got. She clenched her fist so hard that her nails had dug into her palm and caused it to bleed, but her expression didn't falter aside from a quick flinch before quickly regaining posture.

Mr. Aoi was almost panicked, maybe distressed. "What's going on, that isn't like you!"

Suddenly Nagisa snapped. "How would you know what I'm like! You're never around long enough to know hardly anything about me! The only reason you're here now is because you disapprove of Shizuma and I!"

Mr. Aoi choked at the accusation. "That's not-"

"I'm sorry." Nagisa interrupted him. Tears were staining her cheeks and blurring her vision. She swiftly tried to wipe them away though it wouldn't stop coming out. She rose to her feet, bowed respectfully, and apologized again. "Really, I'm really sorry."

She excused herself from the table and ran upstairs to her room leaving her parents shocked. She ran inside and closed the door behind her. The cherry-head scanned her surroundings and quickly found the person she was looking for, laying in bed, asleep.

Nagisa walked over to the bed and smiled gently. She crawled into the bed next to the silver goddess she felt lucky to have, but didn't face her. She just needed to feel Shizuma's presence, but she didn't want to make it awkward by staring at her while she was asleep, that would be creepy. Shizuma was already having weird nightmares as it was.

Just as she got comfortable, she felt a pair of strong arms snake around her waist. They held her lovingly, yet strong and possessively like a child would selfishly hold their favorite toy, protecting it from the rest of the world. Nagisa of course didn't mind, she was used to it.

Shizuma, still asleep, was acting on instinct and sensed the cherry-head. She pulled Nagisa close against her own body and confirmed her younger lover's presence by whispering her name in her sleep.

"Nagisa.", she breathed.

"I'm right here Shizuma." Nagisa responded, the tears in her eyes vanishing for some reason.

Shizuma unconsciously nestled her chin into a bushel of red hair. She sighed contently.

Nagisa giggled. All that time during her parents' questioning, she was trying to stay strong and cool like Shizuma. She had forgotten that even Shizuma Hanazono needs support sometimes. She was reminded of that through Shizuma's needy grip that never seemed to want to let her go. That always wanted to protect her. The grip, she never wanted to be released from. Never.

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**Author's Note:** _Okay confession time. I kinda forgot that I started this story since I wasn't supposed to, so that's why it took like two weeks to update. You guys know that when I'm focused on the story it doesn't take that long but I can't promise it won't happen again and next time it might even take longer XP. Anyway, tell me how you think the chapter was, all you have to do is press that review button! There's gonna be some plot development soon, I think XD, so you don't wanna miss that. I'll update as soon as I can okay!_


	3. Just Another Day

**Author's Note:** _No, I didn't forget about this story again._ _But I'm having a serious writer's block here and I have had no inspiration. Been suffering for about a month now give or take a few days. Someone needs to come up with the cure for this serious chronic disease that is slowly killing our writers. End writer's block, find the cure. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here's my attempt at chapter 3. By the way, for those of you haven't read the prequel to this, "One Hot Summer", Shino is Shizuma's twin brother who is also engaged to Miyuki. You'll see why I mentioned that later. Read, Review, Rejoice! _

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**Chapter 3:  
**_**Just Another Day**_

The midday sunlight peeked through the window and glimmered over the peaceful, red-headed form that breathed ever so gently. Her eyes tried to open but her mind still needed a bit more rest. Slowly she pried her eyes slightly and inhaled deeply and then, just as slowly, she winced her eyes back shut. How she loved the sweet, smoky aroma of her home.

_Wait, smoke?_

Nagisa took another deep breath and her eyes shot open.

_Is that smoke!_

She quickly rolled over to alert her lover only to be shocked when she realized that Shizuma was gone. She got up frantically searching the room for her missing lover but to no avail.

Nagisa bulked up some courage and ran downstairs to the source of the problem, the kitchen. The thick smoke was too dense to see through, but Nagisa could hear coughing on the other side of the kitchen.

"Who's there?" Nagisa called.

"Is that you Nagisa?" replied a familiar voice made almost unrecognizable by the dense fog-like smoke.

"Shizuma!"

Nagisa felt her heart leap as she realized her missing lover was actually in the heart of the smoke. Nagisa covered her mouth and pressed herself against the kitchen wall. She felt around, moving as close to the wall as possible. Finally she found what she was looking for and she thanked God that her family decided to invest in a fire extinguisher for the home. She grabbed the extinguisher and sprayed wildly towards the source of smoke.

"Nagisa!" Shizuma called followed by a few coughs. "Nagisa stop!"

The panicking red-head began to calm and she placed the extinguisher back on its rack. The smoke was cleared up and she could clearly see her silver haired goddess, although now covered in foam. Nagisa quickly ran to embrace Shizuma.

"Oh my God, Shizuma I'm so glad you're safe." Nagisa squealed as she hugged her older lover.

However, surprisingly Shizuma didn't seem to react the way Nagisa expected. In fact, Shizuma practically pulled away from Nagisa.

"Look what you did!" Shizuma pointed toward a charred frying pan on the stove that was engulfed in foam with a spatula in hand.

Nagisa curiously dug under the foam, but all she found was something that was black and hard like coal, obviously the cause of the smoke and could have easily turned into the cause of a fire.

"You ruined my breakfast." Shizuma mumbled.

"Eh! You were actually going to eat that!"

Shizuma scratched her head with an awkward chuckle. "Cooking's not really my forte."

…

After a few minutes of clean up, Nagisa fried a few eggs sunny-side up for Shizuma. As a safety precaution, Shizuma had to wait in the living room for breakfast, or at least anywhere that was a safe distance from the kitchen.

Within a few moments Nagisa emerged from the kitchen carrying a platter with the eggs and some tea. She rested the tray down on the coffee table in front of Shizuma and placed a kissed on her girlfriend's forehead. She giggled, "You should stick to what you're good at."

Shizuma took a sip of tea and sighed. "If I do that, how will I ever get better at anything?"

Nagisa had a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Nagisa, do you think I was born playing the piano, or dancing, or speaking French?" Shizuma slammed her hands on the table and eyed them intensely. "No! I had to get up and learn, that meant practicing. I had to build myself up with my own two hands. Sometimes they'd be trembling, numb, and sometimes it hurt to move even just a finger. But no matter how much I screwed up, I kept at it until I got to a level I could be proud of. And now, it's the job of these hands to build a future for myself."

Suddenly Shizuma felt small, soft, but warm fingers intertwine with hers. She looked at Nagisa and received an inviting and reassuring smile. Nagisa locked their hands together and brought them close to her chest.

"A future is hard to build. That's why I want to build mine together with you. Sometimes there are things two hands can't do alone. That's why you don't have just me, but all our important friends too. Miyuki, Shino, Tamao, Amane and Hikari, Tsubomi and Yaya, Kaname and Momomi, and everyone else from the Strawberry Dorms. We all love you Shizuma."

"Nagisa…"

"And we don't love you because of what you can do, we love you because it is you. Our irreplaceable Shizuma Hanazono. Don't worry about what these hands can't do because they'll never be able to do everything."

Shizuma could no longer fight them. The tears somehow snuck their way out. She breathed almost inaudibly. _"Baka. How's saying all that supposed to make me feel better?"_

She said that, but she couldn't hold back that infectious smile Nagisa passed on to her. It was so sweet, so innocent, so warming, comforting, inviting. It always wiped away the negative feelings. Shizuma loved that smile.

Nagisa moved Shizuma's hand and put it around her shoulder, then moved in closer. She leaned in close enough for them to be able to feel each other's hot breath on their lips. Shizuma couldn't take it anymore, so she closed the gap between them. She grabbed Nagisa's lips with her own, hungrily nibbling and sucking at them before diving her tongue into Nagisa's mouth. She licked, explored and by all means, dominated.

As the moments went by, emotions got deeper, temperatures got higher, and raw passion replaced self-control. Shizuma was now laying on the couch with Nagisa on top of her, straddling her waist. They were still lip locked together.

Shizuma's hands were exploring underneath Nagisa's blouse, unsnapping her bra skillfully. Nagisa broke their kiss and was pulling her blouse over her head. Suddenly, midway through, they heard a snap and the jingle of keys sliding out the door. Nagisa pulled her shirt back down and hurried to try to fix her clothes and disheveled hair. Shizuma ,who normally made no attempt to check and fix her appearance after a moment of intimacy, was struggling to fix her hair and pull it back into its normal style.

Nagisa hurriedly hopped off of Shizuma. Sadly though, while coming down she hit her foot on the coffee table and lost balance. Shizuma, being the person she was, attempted to catch Nagisa but ended up pulling herself down as well.

The reason why couples are supposed to get their own place is because its hard to explain when you get caught by your lover's parents while you have their daughter in a rather "compromising" position. Its even harder to explain when that same lover's mother is a knife wielding demon in angel's clothing.

Nagisa's parents had just come back from visiting an old friend they hadn't seen in a long time. Mr. Aoi needed a little fresh air and reminiscing to get over the little "discussion" plus the fact that his daughter thinks he's the worst dad in the world now (So he thought anyway).

The first thing they saw as they entered the house was Shizuma on top of Nagisa on their living room floor. At that moment, Mrs. Aoi raged inwardly, killing Shizuma off hundreds of different ways all in her mind. She nearly broke the keys, though only bending them slightly before loosening her vice-grip.

Shizuma gave what was possibly the most common 'Caught red-handed' phrase. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"Really. Then what is it then?" Mrs. Aoi growled slightly.

Shizuma picked herself up while Nagisa leapt up. Apologetically, Nagisa explained, "Please don't get mad at Shizuma. I fell and she tried to catch me, but in the end I only ended up dragging her down with me."

Mr. Aoi sighed a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh is that all." He was in such shock, he was willing to latch on to anything Nagisa said that didn't involve she and Shizuma having sex.

Hearing what her husband said, Mrs. Aoi feigned understanding. "I see. Well 'accidents' do tend to happen sometimes."

This time it was Shizuma who breathed a slight sigh. "You have no idea how glad I am that you understand."

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Mr. Aoi assured. "You know, I'm pretty sure she got that clumsiness from me. Why just the other day, I slid down the stairs on my way to work!" He laughed.

Shizuma joined in the laugh to be nice, though she had no idea what was so funny about falling down stairs. Just walking up them is enough work. Then she turned to Mrs. Aoi. "I'm especially glad that you understand."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Well, you just seem so cold towards me, I just figured…"

"If I seemed that way to you, believe me it was unintentional." Mrs. Aoi lied with a smile on her face.

At that moment Shizuma's ringtone went off. She took it out her pocket and checked the caller id. 'Miyuki'.

"Sorry, I'll take this outside."

Shizuma brushed by Mrs. Aoi and felt a cold chill, though she ignored it for the moment. She rushed out the front door onto the front porch, closing the door behind her. Shizuma looked at the phone and smiled before flipping it open.

* * *

"This is Domino's Pizza, how may I help?"

"_Don't screw around Shizuma I know it's you._"

"You're never any fun Miyuki-chan." She purred.

"_You're too laid back._"

"Nothing wrong with that."

"_Listen are you looking for another lecture or do you actually want to know why I called?_"

"And here I thought you only wanted hear my voice again because you missed me so much." Shizuma cooed.

"…_Are you satisfied now?_"

"For the moment."

"_Is it possible to hear a smirk through the phone?_"

"You know me so well."

"_Too well. Anyway, Shino and I just got off the plane and we wanted to rendezvous with you guys. Sound good?_"

"Great! We could eat at this new place that opened nearby. It's supposed to have the best pizza around, but I can't remember what it's called."

"_If you can't remember what it's called, how can I know where to go?_"

"Easy. We'll just meet somewhere else first and go there together."

"_Okay then, where'll we meet?_"

"A place in the area we both know very well."

_Miyuki laughed. _"_I understand, I'll tell Shino then. By the way, how're things going with Nagisa's parents?_"

"Don't ask."

"_That bad?_"

"We'll talk about it later."

"_Fine then, just don't get yourself killed before we meet._"

"No promises."

_Miyuki laughed. _"_See ya later Shizuma._"

"Let's hope so. See ya Miyuki."

* * *

Shizuma clicked off her cell phone, pocketed it, and went back inside the house. Nagisa was waiting on the couch in the living room, while her parents both were upstairs.

"Who was it?"

"Just Miyuki-chan." Shizuma said walking towards her.

"Oh, why'd she call?"

Shizuma walked behind the couch and wrapped her arm around Nagisa's shoulder from behind. "Do you have any plans later on?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ (Trying to make you forget how long update took) I read the Strawberry Panic manga online, or at least the first volume since I couldn't find the second volume, and it was almost totally different from the anime. Read it yourself if you don't believe me! Kaname, Momomi, and Shion all look totally different and Shizuma and Nagisa enter the Etoile election together instead of Nagisa and Tamao. The first volume is only like 12 chapters long, but still was interesting._


	4. The Second Species

_**Author's Note:**__Here's what I need from you guys, when your done reading this chapter or before you start reading it (whatever floats your boat), just stroll on down to my profile. I have two announcements and a new poll up and I'm sure you will be interested in them! Please people every vote counts and I need to know what to do, so leave your input on the poll. By the way, this chapter is much shorter than the others, but consider this a filler chapter. Just for entertainment. Anyway, here it is. Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Extra:  
**_**The Second Species**_

Once again, the students returning from their summer breaks were all in a buzz when a familiar silver Ferrari Enzo pulled up to the gates of Astraea Hill, but the car was nothing compared to the silver haired beauty behind the wheel. She was accompanied by everyone's favorite little strawberry head. However, this time they were also visited by a black limousine with yet another of Miator's favorite graduates inside, along with her strikingly handsome fiancé. Shizuma got out the car and opened Nagisa's door, as did Shino for Miyuki.

"Kinda flashy, don't you think?" Shizuma commented.

"Oh stop, we had the driver from the airport drop us off here." Miyuki said as she tipped the chauffeur.

Nagisa ran to Shino and hugged him tight, "Hey Shino, it's been a while!"

Shino, almost out of breath, wheezed "It hasn't been a week yet." Nagisa loosened her grip on Shino and giggled. He placed his hand on her head with his usual ear-to-ear smile. "Missed you there cherry-head."

"Reunions are well and good, but we really should be leaving." Miyuki noted.

Shizuma hugged Miyuki's shoulders from behind and cooed in her ear, barely above a whisper. "_Miyuki-chan, Shino hasn't loosened you up yet I see. I can do it if you need me to. I know all your favorite places._" Miyuki's cheeks stained red, but she didn't say anything out of fear that Shizuma would twist her words around into something perverted. Yes, she knew her best friend _too_ well.

"Sister, I'd have to ask you to refrain from doing that." Shino said bluntly.

"Sharp hearing as always Shino!"

Nagisa wore a puzzled expression. "I didn't hear anything, what'd she say?"

Shino's cheeks lit up bright red as he folded his arms across his chest and said matter-of-factly, "Something I'd rather not repeat, for everyone's sake."

Suddenly, they heard something hit the other side of the car. They didn't exactly see what it was, all they knew is that it moved fast. Suddenly, they heard the sound again followed by a high pitch shriek like a banshee's or in the worst case scenario…

Boy did they hope it was a banshee.

"I'll… check it out." Miyuki offered nervously.

Shizuma grabbed her shoulders and stared her straight in the eyes, a genuine look of concern evident. "You can't!" Shizuma barked. "If it is what we think it is, if they catch you, you're a goner. You won't be strong enough to escape, you remember what happened last time you were caught don't you?"

A chill ran down Miyuki's spine at the memory. "I'd rather not be reminded."

"Am I the only one lost here?" Shino interjected. "What are we talking about and what happened last time?"

Everyone completely ignored Shino.

Nagisa stepped up, "In any case someone has to go. I'll do it."

"That's no good either." Shizuma protested. "If anyone is gonna go it has to be me." As if Shino weren't even there.

Nagisa clutched on to Shizuma with tears in her eyes. "If you go and they catch you, who knows what they're going to do! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something bad happens to you."

Shizuma turned to her lovingly, lifted her chin, and kissed her deeply. It was quick but definitely passionate. "Sex would take too long, so I need you to remember me by this if I don't make it back." Then Shizuma turned back toward Miyuki and put the car keys in her hand. "This car is my non-living baby. Take care of her, she's a bit high maintenance." Miyuki only nodded. Finally, Shizuma turned to Shino. He braced himself for whatever she was about to say.

She sighed.

"Why'd I only get a sigh!"

Again Shino was ignored. Shizuma turned toward the other two. "Well, I'm off." They gave her the thumbs up and she was off.

Shizuma slowly rounded past the bumper of the car. She stuck her head over nervously to check what was making the sound earlier. Suddenly, scores of hands reached out and grabbed her at the same time followed by that high-pitch shriek again. Shizuma struggled and fought against them, but her enemy had the strength of a beast. Panting, shrieking, pawing at places only Nagisa was allowed to touch.

"NO! They caught Shizuma!" Nagisa yelped.

She tried to rush to Shizuma's aid but was stopped by Miyuki who held her back. "Stop! If you get caught, Shizuma's sacrifice would be in vain. Let's just hurry inside the car while they're distracted."

Though she was hesitant, Nagisa nodded in agreement, holding back the tears for their fallen comrade and her fallen lover. They rushed to the car. Miyuki grabbed the driver's seat while Shino and Nagisa took the back. Miyuki turned the key and revved the engine.

"Wait, what about Shizuma?" Shino asked showing genuine concern for his sister.

As if on cue, Shizuma nonchalantly pulled the door open and took a seat on the passenger's side. Her clothes tattered and ripped but she didn't seem to notice at the moment. "Hey, are we still going to that new pizza joint? I'm hungry as hell." She complained.

"What the heck was out there?" Shino asked, observing all the rips on Shizuma's clothes and claw marks on her arms and a bit on her face.

Suddenly something hit the window. Shino squinted to see it clearly. "Is that… a girl?"

Shizuma grabbed hold of Miyuki's arm and yelled in a panic. "Drive Miyuki, DRIVE!"

Miyuki put her foot on the gas and floored it. They sped out the schoolyard. Shino looked out the rear mirror to confirm his suspicions.

Nagisa put her hand on her chest and sighed out a breath of air she hadn't even she realized she was holding in. "Thank goodness we're outta there."

"Those were just a bunch of girls, why were you guys being so overdramatic?" Shino pointed out obliviously.

Shizuma flared, "How can you say that? Have you not seen what they've done to me?" She pointed at the remains of her clothes.

Decreasing speed and without taking her eyes off the road, Miyuki explained, "You shouldn't take them so lightly as to group them in with us, Shino. They are a new breed of human, a new species commonly referred to as the 'fangirl'. Typically they look like normal girls, but when faced with something of their interest, they become beasts. That shriek you kept hearing was their collective screams. They gain strength, speed, and instinct far above any normal human's, maybe above any animal's as well."

"According to my sources, a very large percentage of their fan-base is yuri or yaoi couples. Being the 'seme' of the relationship, they would want nothing more than to bed me. For Nagisa, being so cute yet naive for her age, they would probably try to tie her up in a basement or something." Nagisa gulped at the thought of it.

"Okay, I understand you two, but what about Miyuki…"

"Not after last time." Miyuki quickly interrupted.

"What 'last time'?" Shino was becoming frustrated.

"Didn't _that_ happen back when everyone thought that you two were a couple Shizuma?" Nagisa noted.

"Please don't speak of it." Miyuki shuddered.

Shizuma shrugged, "Apparently we're still in the top favorite couples even though we never actually were a 'couple'."

"Then why couldn't I go?"

"Because…" Shizuma explained. "Although hot guys also have a large fan-base, being a virgin as a plus, that crowd was expecting one of us to go. If you went there, they'd get irritated, frustrated even. They'd be so pissed that they'd probably strip you and castrate you in an instant and that'll make them even more restless."

"Is it really that bad?"

Nagisa rested her hand on Shino's shoulder and shook her head as if pitying his naivety. "They are by far the scariest, fiercest creatures this world has ever known and to their victims, by far the most fearsome."

Shino felt a cold chill go up his spine as he shuddered just imagining what school life must have been for them. "That must have sucked."

Shizuma sighed but then smirked. "It was easy to manage them when I was single. All they wanted was to hop in bed with me, I didn't have a problem fulfilling that wish. But now I have Nagisa and my body belongs to only her."

"Also…" Nagisa added. "If you went, it wouldn't be as much fun for the readers."

"Talk about breaking the fourth wall."

…

The rest of the drive was uneventful up to until they reached the pizza place. Shizuma rushed to the bathroom to change before anyone she knew recognized her in those ripped clothes. She had a feeling something like a fangirl attack might have happened, so she had an extra set of clothes in the trunk. Meanwhile, Nagisa and the others found a table.

For a new pizza joint, the place was crowded and the order line was pretty long. Was the pizza really that good? It took about ten minutes of waiting before they were able to order and then they were told the wait for the pizza would be about twenty minutes, which wasn't bad, but still. It was a long wait.

…

Meanwhile, Shizuma had just finished changing in the bathroom and was watching her face in the mirror.

"Well, well, if it isn't Etoile-sama." A familiarly sardonic voice called.

Shizuma bounced up on instinct, like danger was approaching. She was right.

"Kaname!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Like I said, just a short, filler chapter. I'm going to try to release the next serious chapter tomorrow. Why? Because the 25__th__ of April was a great achievement for mankind. Not only is it the next Easter Monday, but it's the day I was born. Tomorrow I turn 15, and I want to give a gift to you guys. See ya, hopefully tomorrow. Don't forget to check my profile announcements._


	5. Love & War

_**Author's Note:**__ Before I start, I want to remind everyone to check the profile and respond to the announcements. Please, think of the Binky. Now, I feel compelled to answer anonymous reviewer __**Kamakazi Anon**__. Thanks for the awesome review and I do plan on revealing what happened between Miyuki and the fangirls in a later chapter, maybe it will be another filler chapter, (not sure yet). Glad I made you laugh ^^. So here it is, chapter 4. Read, Review, Rejoice! _

* * *

**Chapter 4:  
**_**Love & War**_

"Kaname!"

"In the flesh." Kaname strolled over to Shizuma, her usual smirk donning her face. "What brings the great Shizuma Hanazono here? Just to waste water."

Shizuma turned the faucet and smirked. "Nothing used on me is wasted."

"Ha… ha. Humble, aren't we?"

"Sarcastic, aren't we?" Shizuma mocked. "But I wouldn't expect any less from you. What brings you to a place like this?"

"I recall asking you the same thing not so long ago."

"I'm here for pizza with Nagisa, Miyuki, and Shino…"

"Your brother who's engaged to Rokujou-san right?"

Shizuma looked at her curiously. "How'd you know that? I never told you."

"Just answer me." Kaname commanded.

"Yea, but…"

"Don't worry, I'm just ascertaining the credibility of a source of mine."

"Okay then." Shizuma drawled. "What are you doing here,… and where's your better half?"

Kaname frowned. "Momomi left the island with her parents and I'm stuck here as a called-in favor. She'll be back in about two days." Then Kaname smirked, "I'm expecting two weeks of make-up sex. She won't be leaving that house anytime soon."

"You two live together now?"

"Of course. I was investing in our place since we were in school."

Shizuma sighed. "I wish I could move into my own place with Nagisa. Right now I'm staying with her parents because they wanted to meet me." She sighed again. "It sucks."

"Ah, I remember when I had to meet Momomi's parents for the first time." Kaname reminisced. "Enjoyable experience. Their bed was so big and soft, great for love-making."

"Get your mind out the gutter for a second please." Shizuma protested. "How was it?"

"Hot, wet, playful, and sexy. Momomi loves the bathtub the most."

"I told you to get your mind out the gutter!"

"Oh, you meant the 'Meeting the parents' part." Kaname said, her mind still drifting away a bit. "They were kicking up a fuss at first, but after a while we found some common ground."

"Really?"

"Yup. Now I know where Momomi gets her kinkiness from. Her mother's a freak… her dad's a lucky man. I love it when she spends time with her mother because her mother is always giving her new and better ideas."

Shizuma thought for a while. "I wish Nagisa's mother was like that. God I wish Nagisa's mom was like that!"

"Mmm." Kaname nodded. "How are strawberry-head's parents? Sounds like you're having problems."

"Her mom wants to kill me."

"Be more specific."

"She carries around a butcher's knife…" Shizuma explained. "…and tries to KILL ME!"

Kaname laughed. "What'd you do!"

"Nothing!" Shizuma stressed. "I wasn't there for two days yet! The first night, I'm sure it was her who put that cut under my eye."

"So that's where that came from." Kaname said pointing at it. "I figured strawberry-head was a clawer in bed."

"Would you please call her Nagisa?"

"I could… but strawberry-head fits so much better with me."

"In any case, I have no idea what to do."

"Shizuma, Shizuma. How could you be so naïve?" Kaname shook her head. "If Mrs. Strawberry-head wants a battle, give her a war."

"I can't fight Nagisa's mother!" Shizuma argued.

"War doesn't have to be physical. With the right tactics and strategies, victory can be assured without having to dirty your hands with brute force. Brute force is only to be used where it will be beneficial to you, as a last resort, or just for the sake of fun." Kaname's smirk grew larger.

"You're mind's inner working scares me." Shizuma shuddered.

"That's another way to defeat your opponent. Fear and pure intimidation is the key, but it seems she already has that over you."

"True." It was hard for Shizuma to admit, but she was actually afraid of that wolf in sheep's clothing.

"How's her relationship with the husband? Is he even there… are they happy… anything of the sort."

"He's ridiculously happy, and she does seem to love him dearly. Then again she's a good actor so I'm not sure."

Kaname rested her head in her hand. "Do you have any detail for certain? Something I can use?"

"I don't know what you can use."

Kaname sighed. "Forget it. I'll stop by sometime and do a personal evaluation, that way you'll owe me."

Kaname was just about to leave the bathroom before Shizuma grabbed her arm. "Wait."

"What?" Kaname grumbled, frustrated. She pulled her arm from Shizuma, "By the way, only person who's allowed to touch me is Momomi."

"Sorry." She apologized. "But, I was still wondering what you're doing here."

"My brother owns the place, but he's had businesses fall through before. He's one of my valuable sources as a skilled hacker, being a computer nerd and an otaku. He called in a favor and so now I'm managing this place for a week or two."

"That's why this place is booming!"

"Indeed. Let's just say that a few "important" people had some "debts" to "pay off". One of them happened to have a great recipe for pizza and so this place was born."

Shizuma chuckled nervously. "Sometimes the things you say sound like you deal with the criminal underworld or something. Crazy huh."

Kaname remained silent for awhile. She averted her eyes and said plainly, almost sardonically. "Yea crazy."

Shizuma kept quiet, though all through her mind she thought, "_That wasn't convincing at all._" But again, she kept quiet.

…

Meanwhile everyone was sitting down waiting for the pizza to be sent to their table. Shizuma finally came out the bathroom and quickly located everyone.

"So where's the pizza?" Shizuma questioned as she took her seat.

"It should be here any minute." Shino said.

Just then there was a crash in the aisle behind them. A waitress and a customer collided in a classic crash. Glasses shattered, customer dripping wet and covered in pizza, while waitress only suffered a slight bump but is otherwise completely untouched.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" The man yelled at the waitress. "Can't you see!"

By that time the young waitress was already tearfully apologizing repeatedly, but the man continued to demean her out loud. "You babbling idiot, how am I supposed to get cleaned up now! Where's you're a**hole of a manager?"

Just then the man felt a stern, strong hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kaname staring daggers at him. "You requested me."

"Who are you?"

"The manager of this fine establishment, you know, the person in charge."

The man shot up to his feet and pointed a finger in Kaname's face, Kaname's neutral expression unflinching. "What kind of place is this where you hire the blind to serve? What are you, an idiot!"

Kaname grabbed the man by the finger he so ignorantly pointed in her face and bent it as far back as she could get it. He screamed and attempted to reel his hand back, but Kaname grabbed his arm and forced it behind his back. "If you don't want to be erased, I suggest you leave."

She let the man go. For someone who looked like an ape, he cried like a baby as he ran out the door. "Come again." Kaname called behind him.

At that time, being the gentleman he was, Shino got out of his seat and helped the waitress up. In the red uniform and matching hat, she looked different, but when Shino laid eyes on those blue orbs, he immediately recognized her. "Suzumi-san, is that you?"

Nagisa jumped out her seat at the sound of the name. "Tamao!" While Shizuma choked on air at the sound. Miyuki simply sat there curiously.

"Everyone! Nice to see you all here! I didn't know you guys were in the area, when did you leave Okinawa?"

"Shino and I just came today, but Shizuma came yesterday." Miyuki noted.

"My parents wanted to meet her, so Shizuma's staying with us for a while." Nagisa added.

Kaname cleared her throat. "Suzumi-san, please socialize on your own time. I don't pay you to talk idly with the customers."

Tamao hopped to her feet, flustered. "Sorry Kenjou-sama. I'll get back to work immediate-" While she was trying to scurry off Tamao tripped over her own feet and pulled down one of the tables, which was thankfully empty, and nearly knocked herself out.

Kaname sighed.

"Um, Kenjou-san. I didn't know you were a manager here." Nagisa said cautiously.

"The details are so annoying to keep explaining. Please ask Shizuma." Kaname breathed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Shizuma?" She quizzed.

"I'll explain later." Shizuma defended.

"Then what about Tamao?" Nagisa urged.

"Suzumi-san is returning a favor of not so long ago. However, I'm not eligible to give any details so long as she keeps her part of the deal."

Suddenly Kaname pulled out a camera and snapped a picture of Shino. Just as he recovered from the blinding flash, he argued. "What was that for?"

"I'm not entitled to answer you. "Information" is all I will say." She said bluntly and walked away just as easy.

"Who was that?"

"Don't worry about it. She just compiles information on everyone." Miyuki said nonchalantly.

Their pizza arrived shortly after. It definitely lived up to the hype and certainly was worth the wait. Shino took Nagisa across the road to the park because she wanted to play, but Shizuma didn't want her to go along in case any pedophile mistook her for a thirteen year old and tried to kidnap her or something. Truth be told, Shino had his eyes on the slide since they got there.

So it was just Miyuki and Shizuma left at the table and as she promised over the phone, she told Miyuki what was going on at the Aoi household.

"Sounds difficult." Miyuki said sipping from her soda.

"Yea, I know. Its starting to make me think that it isn't worth it." Shizuma said frankly.

Suddenly she felt a hand go straight cross her cheek as the sound of her slap echoed through the building. "Not worth it!" Miyuki flared. "You're giving up on happiness because things are getting hard."

Shizuma, still trying to catch herself after the slap, whined. "That really hurt Miyuki-chan."

"Let it hurt. You need someone to slap some sense into you because you're started to speak a bunch of foolishness. This isn't like you at all Shizuma. What happened to "never give up on a fight"? What happened to "nothing is a greater pleasure than love"? Remember those words! What happened to Nagisa is all you need?"

"True, but Miyuki. It shouldn't be this hard should it? I don't understand why she doesn't like me? I haven't done anything wrong as far as I know."

"That's just how things are. Not everyone is going to just like you, and not everyone is willing to accept you."

"I guess you're right."

Miyuki smiled contently and nodded. She got up, "I'm going to check on Shino and Nagisa.", and then she left.

Shizuma was just about to get up when she felt something stop her chair. "Let me just say something before you leave." Kaname commanded. "The best way to defeat them is through the dad. Get to know him better, find his weaknesses, and use them against him. Everything else will fall into place. Of course, I won't suggest any drastic actions before I stop by and evaluate. So until then, keep it small."

"I understand." Shizuma said with newfound determination.

Kaname nodded. "With my method, victory is ascertain, don't forget it." she warned just before disappearing off.

Shizuma got up and walked out to the car, everyone already strapped up inside. She would be driving apparently. She didn't mind, driving her silver, metal baby cleared her head and right now she could use some clearing. Kaname's method seems a tad extreme, but did she really have no other choice? Even Miyuki agreed that she had to fight, and not give up, or something along those lines. She would probably be decided after she drops off Miyuki and Shino and takes Nagisa, but still, will her decision be the right one?

* * *

**Author's Note:** _I don't know, I think I was a little off today. Maybe it was a little to rush-rush. Anyway, I fulfilled my promise of posting this today. Its now 11:29, April 25__th__ and this is my present to the readers. Happy Birthday to me and again, don't forget to check out my profile for the important announcements. Ta-ta for now everyone, toodles! _


	6. A Holiday Just For You

**Author's Note:** _This summer has been tough. My laptop is busted (even though that was my fault XP), inspiration is lacking, plus I finally was able to update another story I had for Fairy Tail. I almost completely forgot to update. I'll try harder to update more before school reopens! 'Till then, this is chapter 5, Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 5:  
**_**A Holiday Just for You**_

Shizuma didn't want to get up and face the cruel reality that was her life. Instead, she just wanted to drift away into the ever peaceful realms of dream. She wanted to drift on clouds longer. There was only one reason she ever looked forward to waking up, and that was Nagisa. Sharing a bed with her younger lover did somewhat compensate for the fact that she was sleeping under the same roof of someone who wanted to kill her. It's even worse that the person trying to kill her is Nagisa's mother. Still though, there were times of peace and this was one of those times.

Shizuma stretched her arms and reached out for Nagisa but instead only ended up pulling an empty pillow into her embrace. She muffled a few curse words under the pillow before tossing it and turned angrily to lay on her stomach.

Just then, she heard the door creak slowly and an oh-so-familiar patter approaching her. The barely audible footsteps stopped just next to the bed, the figure hovering just above her. Shizuma didn't need to look up to know who it was. She smirked but remained silent.

"Shizuma… Wake up." The young girl spoke in a hushed voice.

"I don't wanna." Shizuma whined playfully. Then Shizuma rolled over and smiled. "Maybe if I get a kiss I'll change my mind."

Nagisa giggled. "Fine, but you have to close your eyes."

Shizuma did as she was told. Happily anticipating a kiss, she readied her lips, planning to latch on to Nagisa and pull her into something deeper.

Nagisa gazed at Shizuma lovingly and proceeded to plant her kiss. Obviously Shizuma grumbled when she realized her plan had been ruined when she felt Nagisa's soft lips on her forehead.

"That's it?"

"For now." Nagisa replied cheekily. "Now come on, don't be a lazy bum. Get out of bed."

Shizuma groaned. "Fine."

As Shizuma got out of bed Nagisa ushered her into the bathroom. "Hurry up, bathe, and get dressed. You've got an hour."

"An hour? Is that nearly enough time?"

"It's all you have now hurry up."

"Okay mother." Shizuma said sarcastically. She quickly shifted over to her regular provocative tone. "Maybe we can take a bath together. I'll scrub your back. Maybe your front too."

"Nice try, I already took a bath so it looks like you're flying solo."

"Aww, can't blame me for trying though."

Nagisa shoved Shizuma through the door. "Oh yeah, don't forget to brush your teeth."

"ONE time that happened!" Shizuma flared and slammed the bathroom door.

"Don't forget, one hour." Nagisa called. She barely could hear some swears and grumbles from the other side of the door, evoking a small giggle from the girl.

Nagisa walked downstairs and met her father watching TV. He was watching some weird anime that really should have been cancelled, effective immediately. Some lame-o, misshapen hero with a pair of underwear on his head.

"_Girl's underwear might I add." _Nagisa whispered to herself. _"He and Shizuma would probably be the best of friends."_

Mr. Aoi saw how Nagisa was staring at the screen with a blank expression. "Oh come on! Don't tell me you don't recognize him?"

"Should I?"

Mr. Aoi leapt from his seat, seemingly holding back tears while pointing at Nagisa accusatory. "You forgot Panty-man!"

Nagisa nearly choked. "Panty-man?"

"Every morning when you were younger, you would run to our room and wake us up so we could all watch Panty-man together. Sometimes you'd already have your underwear on your head." Mr. Aoi explained. Then he snickered, "Sometimes they weren't even clean."

"Can we please switch the topic now?" Nagisa covered her blush-red face behind her hands.

Mr. Aoi calmly sat back down and smiled. "Are we all set to commence?"

Nagisa answered excitedly with a salute, "Aye-Aye Captain!"

"Then all we have to do is get this show on the road." Then his smile grew bigger. "This is going to be great."

"Is mom still here?" Nagisa asked as she walked into kitchen.

"Nah, somehow I convinced her to visit her sister for awhile. All according to plan."

"So we have until five o'clock then. Perfect!"

Nagisa proceeded to don a light pink apron and started cooking breakfast. She got some spring onions and some eggs out the fridge. As she started to chop the onions she called, "Shizuma! You done yet?"

Just then Shizuma descended the stairs, drying out her ear with the edge of the towel which wrapped around her otherwise naked body. She walked straight into the kitchen and pressed herself against Nagisa from behind. She whispered into Nagisa's ear, "You wanted me?"

Nagisa squirmed. "Stop Shizuma. Dad can see us."

"Oh yea." Shizuma released Nagisa. "Sorry for my rudeness sir." she bowed.

"It's quite alright Shizuma-san. " He assured from the other room, still glued to that disgustingly outdated cartoon.

"_Something's off. Normally a knife would have intercepted that. Very strange."_ Shizuma thought to herself. Shizuma's ears suddenly caught sound of something familiar.

"Is that Panty-man I hear!" Shizuma yelled like an overzealous child running out to the living room.

"Eh, you know about it?" Nagisa spat.

Shizuma plopped herself in the seat next to a now grinning Mr. Aoi. "Know about it? I lived for Panty-man when I was younger! All of his awesome quotes and cool adventures. I cried for days when it stopped airing! I didn't know they brought him back."

Mr. Aoi shook his head. "Actually they just brought him back today so they're having a three-hour long marathon to celebrate."

"Well he said it himself, 'Justice may rest but it will never be defeated.' I'm glad the television company came to their senses."

Mr. Aoi took Shizuma's hand and looked her in the eyes, his face now serious. "Does this mean that there are still allies willing to sacrifice their days for justice?"

Hearing this, Shizuma's face also turned serious as she responded. "As long as there are those who strive for evil, there will be others who cry out for freedom and thirst for justice."

The two stared at each other for a while and suddenly broke out in tears, pulling each other into an embrace, mutually crying out, "A Comrade!"

Nagisa shook her head from the kitchen, continuing to focus on cooking breakfast. She mumbled to herself, "When did I suddenly become the mature one? I thought I was supposed to be the kid here."

Shizuma peeked her head up to pay attention to her otherwise neglected lover. "You say something Nagisa?"

"When are you going to get dressed?"

Shizuma pulled away from Mr. Aoi scratching her head. "Oops. I forgot." Shizuma hurried back upstairs.

By the time Mr. Aoi and Nagisa had finished eating breakfast, Shizuma had finally finished changing. "That was quick." Nagisa said sarcastically.

"I already had it picked out, it's my hair that was the problem. Honest." Shizuma reasoned.

"Whatever you say." Nagisa rolled her eyes.

"You've been bitter all morning, what's wrong?" Shizuma asked.

"You seriously don't remember, do you?"

"Was there something I was supposed to remember?"

"Shizuma, what did I tell you was happening today?"

"Today? Was it a birthday?" Shizuma guessed.

"Try again."

"An anniversary?"

"Wrong answer." Nagisa said getting irritated.

"Hmm…" Shizuma hummed as she placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "I give up."

"Mo-ther's-day."

"It's the middle of summer, how's that even possible?"

"I explained all that already Shizuma." Nagisa complained.

"Was your bra on or off at that time?"

"Just explain it to her again, I'm sure she didn't mean to forget." Mr. Aoi reasoned.

"Fine." Nagisa sighed. "You know that mom and dad are usually gone because of dad's job. Well, it's not very often that the family is all together like this, so dad and I decided to celebrate mother's day today." she explained.

"She's at her sister's place and she'll be back at five, so we have until then to have the best holiday ever planned for her." Mr. Aoi added.

"_Mother's day huh…_" Shizuma whispered to herself as her mind seemed to drift off. "_How long's it been?_"

As Shizuma's carefree visage turned pensive, both of the Aoi members took notice. "You don't have to participate if you don't want to." Nagisa offered.

Shizuma realized what Nagisa was trying to say. "Oh. No, it's…", she was cut off by her cell phone's ringtone. She flipped out her phone and checked the id. "Umm, I have to take this." Shizuma excused herself and retreated to the outside.

Mr. Aoi scratched his head as he asked, "What's wrong with Shizuma?"

"Her mother died while Shizuma was really young. She was always really weak, but she would always spend time with Shizuma and her brother." Nagisa explained. "She's always telling me stories from back then."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Mr. Aoi apologized.

Nagisa shook her head. "It's okay, she'll be alright. It isn't your fault since no one told you."

…

Shizuma made her way outside, her cellphone still begging to be answered. She scanned left and right before checking the id on her cellphone once more. Shizuma sighed just before flipping the phone open, but before she could greet the other person, they interrupted her.

"_Took you long enough." Kaname grumbled. "My time is too precious to be wasting like this."_

"Sorry, I was with Nagisa and her father and anyway, I don't remember having any reason to have your number logged in my contacts, so how the hell did it get there?"

"_Little details, Shizuma, are not important. You probably don't recall ever giving me your number either, but here I am calling you. Right now that's not important, what is important however, is your situation. What are strawberry-head and her father up to right now, and where is the mother?"_

"Well _Nagisa_ and her father are planning to celebrate mother's day and-"

"_Mother's day? In the middle of summer?"_

"Focus, you're the one that said little details aren't important."

"_Right, right. So they're planning mother's day and so, where's the mother?"_

"She's visiting her sister right now. Apparently it's a surprise."

"_This is perfect Shizuma!" Kaname announced. "This opportunity is yours, seize it."_

"What are you talking about?"

"_An opportunity to get closer to the father and to get on the mother's good side, even if it's just for that day. That is, if you execute this just right." Kaname explained. "Nothing too big or noticeable. Remember, it's all about subtlety_ _at this stage." _

"Okay I'll ask again, what the hell are you talking about?" Shizuma stressed.

"_Use this opportunity to learn about both the parents. I'll be able to do a full report in about two days when I come to evaluate your situation firsthand."_

"So what, just go along with all this? What about Nagisa, should I-"

"_DO NOT, I repeat __**DO NOT**__ tell strawberry-head about what you're doing!" Kaname growled willfully. "Strawberry-head is too innocent to understand what you're trying to do. She can't see that this to protect your relationship."_

"I don't know. It doesn't seem right to go behind her back like this, if she finds out… I've hurt her too much already, I don't want to risk it."

"_You want to know what's risky? Letting things go as they are now. I don't have to be like 'psychic' Chikaru to tell that your relationship is destined to die with the situation you're facing."_

"Is it really that serious? Aren't you just over-reacting?"

"_Tell me Shizuma, I know you love strawberry-head. Is it right for me to assume that she also loves you?"_

"I guess."

"_Not, 'I guess'! It's a disgustingly obvious fact that for some reason, that for the life of me I can't understand, obnoxiously sweet and innocent strawberry-head has fallen for lecherous and ravenous you. Like Little Red Riding Hood being ensnared by the big, bad wolf. Tell me Shizuma, what does strawberry-head's happiness mean to you?"_

"Well, everything!" Shizuma answered almost immediately. Though in the back of her head she was trying to figure out how to react to what Kaname just spewed about her.

"_Well, as sad as it is, you're her happiness. She's happy to be with you, so don't you think that by going through with this plan, you're ensuring her happiness." _

"I never thought about it like that."

"_Don't think, act. Too many things could have been avoided in this world if people had just acted instead of over thinking, especially when there's a genius behind the scenes who could do all that hard thinking as if it were nothing."_

"Thanks Kaname."

"_Don't worry about it, this is beneficial for me as well, plus the great Shizuma Hanazono will owe me a favor. That'll come in handy later on."_

"I see."

"_By the way, it was that time when we were in the bathroom." Kaname added._

"What?"

"_I put my number in your phone when we met in the bathroom at the pizza place. It's for emergencies only, that way you'd be able to contact me. And as for your phone number, I have all that information on file. That, you should have known already."_

"Wait a min-" Before Shizuma could finish her sentence she heard the phone click. "She hung up on me!" Shizuma yelled, nearly tossing her expensive phone to an untimely demise.

…

Just as Shizuma opened the door, she met Nagisa and Mr. Aoi preparing to leave. Almost immediately, Mr. Aoi approached her and apologized nervously. "I'm really sorry about anything I may have said earlier that… You see I didn't know until Nagisa filled me in. You know about your mother and-"

"You don't have to walk on eggshells around me Mr. Aoi. It didn't bother me at all. In fact, I would love to help out if I can!"

Nagisa excitedly jumped into Shizuma's embrace. "Really! Shizuma, that would be great!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** _I'll try really hard to update the second part to this within a week. But, like I said try, I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it. I'm going on vacation soon and I wanted to update at least one more time before I leave. I'm not sure if I'll have access to a computer. But hey, if I get lucky I might be able to update twice before I leave, but my luck hasn't been that good this summer. Anyway, enough rambling, see you next chapter! _


	7. Trouble brings Trouble

**Author's Note:** _Those of you who have been following my stories for awhile now know that I try not to miss a holiday update! So here I am, and I'm full of Christmas high this year (must be something in the cookies)! This is a short update with Kaname, following the phone conversation she had with Shizuma. So here's another extra chapter, Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Extra:  
**_**Trouble brings Trouble**_

"_Wait a min-" Before Shizuma could finish her sentence she heard the phone click._

Kaname quickly pocketed her phone as Momomi returned with a strawberry filled crepe in hand, nibbling childishly at the sweet treat.

"_How ironic…"_ Kaname snickered quietly to herself.

"What?" Momomi pouted as she plopped herself on the bench next to Kaname.

"Oh, nothing." Kaname mused as she stole a bite off the desert. Licking the pink-colored cream around her lips Kaname smirked. "I was just thinking how much I like strawberries."

Momomi, being with Kaname for as long as she has, obviously knew her long time lover was hiding something, but she chose not to focus on that. Instead, she decided to seize this rare occasion and use it to the fullest. As she snuggled closer into Kaname's arm, she smiled. "Let's focus on why you picked today to go on a date. When I came back, I thought I would be locked in the bedroom for days. When since did you get so romantic?"

Kaname wrapped an arm around the brown-haired girl's shoulder pulling her even closer. "Let's just say… I've been in a _really_ good mood lately."

"And the timing is so perfect too! Not a cloud in the sky." Momomi observed cheerfully.

"Indeed."

The two sat idly in a local park. Having recently moved to the area, they had yet to truly explore their new surroundings. This particular park was famous for couples because of the water fountain that stood imposingly at the center of the park.

The real beauty of the fountain was its design. It began with the sculpted likeness of three maidens carrying jars, each stooping low to fetch water while facing away from one another. In the middle of these three maidens stood the likeness of a young couple, a man holding his apparent lover amorously from behind. One of his arms snaked across her breasts while the other hid her womanhood, as if protecting her from the eyes of all others while leaving his own nude form exposed.

"You know, this sculpture is far from romantic." Momomi laughed rather loudly, catching the attention of some of the other couples and passer-bys. "If anything, the man is an exhibitionist and a pervert. He's just looking for an excuse to grope his woman in public, while exposing himself to the world." Momomi looked to Kaname and smirked, giving a knowing nod.

"Not to mention those maidens, who supposedly can't see a thing. No matter how you look at it, all their heads are tilted slightly, giving them a peripheral view of the couple." Kaname added matter-of-factly, matching Momomi's volume, if not getting slightly louder. "If anything, this statue is disgusting."

"It's amazing how they could put up such a provocative symbol in a public place. I'm glad I don't have any children who could be exposed to such a display."

The couple got up in seeming disgust and walked away from the awestricken crowd and uneasy couples, both wearing impish grins. As if adding insult to injury, Momomi finished, "I guess perverts would find it 'beautiful' though."

The couple strolled along, both feeling rather accomplished with their latest bout of troublemaking. It's been a while since the menacing duo were able to do such things as a pair. Still though, Kaname's mind was formulating a plan for Shizuma's current situation. How often does Shizuma Hanazono ask for help? She had to seize the opportunity.

"By the way," Momomi interrupted the young mastermind's train of thought. "Who were you talking to earlier?"

"When?" Kaname responded quickly to avoid troublesome and ultimately avoidable explanations.

"When you pocketed your cell as I was coming back, you didn't honestly think I didn't notice." Momomi then smirked, almost challenging Kaname. "You know me better than that."

"That's why I know it would only be a waste of time to lie to you." Kaname sighed. "You remember the silver-maned Casanova of St. Miator, our beloved Etoile, don't you?" she asked in a heavily sarcastic tone.

"What reason do you have to contact Shizuma nowadays?"

"She has a few issues she needs help dealing with."

"Since when did you become a charity?"

"Call me counselor."

"Even counselors get an income." Momomi pointed out. "What's your motive? You and I both have more than enough money, and we're no longer in school so Shizuma can't pull any strings for you anymore. What are you aiming at, what's her use?"

Kaname snickered. "Think about it. Yes, money is no issue to us, and the sisters no longer watch over us. Looking at it that way, doing this has no merit to me. However, the situation itself, was too interesting to pass up!"

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Answering a question with a question, tell me, how often does Shizuma get rejected by a woman?"

"The question is more, has any woman ever rejected an offer from Shizuma Hanazono? Sure Nagisa lasted a while, but we all see where that ended up." Momomi bit into the remaining morsels of her desert thoughtfully before suddenly gasping, "Shizuma's having woman problems!"

"In a sense." Kaname nodded. "But not the way you're thinking. Apparently she and strawberry-head are as strong as ever, however there is a force effectively wearing away at their relationship. The one woman, besides Nagisa, in a position to crush Shizuma psychologically and throw her life into a downward spiral. The mother of strawberry-head herself."

"So the mother has a problem with Shizuma." Momomi frowned. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"Apparently after doing some research, I found out that her mother is actually Yumiko Aoi formerly Hanatsu."

"Why does that sound familiar?"

"Hanatsu, Yumiko, the first woman in Japan to place in an international MMA championship. She took second place and it was believed she could take first but she had to make her way back to Japan because of a family emergency. Therefore, it was counted as a forfeit. Shortly after, she married her long-time fiancé and gave birth. She hasn't fought professionally since."

"If that's the case, Nagisa must take after her father."

"Indeed."

Momomi tugged at Kaname's short-sleeved shirt childishly, smiling up at her girlfriend. "Hey, I want to hit the arcades."

"Hmm, why not, it could be fun." Kaname grinned slightly thinking of the hell they could raise together. It's been awhile since they could cause mayhem together like this, aside from the park incident.

* * *

Momomi had been gone for nearly two grueling weeks, the first time they were separated since they became a couple. At first Kaname was against it, but since Momomi leaving alone was beyond her control, she had to deal with it. Momomi thought it would be a good experience for them to be separated from each other for awhile, so Kaname was not allowed to argue.

At first, the dark-haired girl thought that she could easily make the two weeks, however she found herself disgruntled the very night Momomi left for the airport. She finally realized how big their bed really was, definitely not suited for one person alone. She decided not to go to bed just yet, and instead to soak a little in the tub which was once again, not suited for single person use. She sat in the hot water allowing the steam to clear her head and cleanse her thought.

Her bath lasted only a few minutes, the shortest time she's ever spent in the tub. Kaname dried herself off, changed into a loose fitting shirt and black cotton pants, and headed back to the bedroom. She picked up a book she had for a few weeks now, but never had the time to finish. She would only have the chance to read two or three pages before Momomi became bored and wanted to 'play'. Sadly though, she came to realize upon reaching the end of the novel, the book was never worth opening to begin with. She just needed something to stimulate her mind.

Momomi had been gone for less than four hours, yet Kaname was already starting to miss her sex kitten. She thought about the nightly backrubs her girlfriend would offer her almost every night just before intercourse. She remembered the bath time fun. She reminisced on Momomi's slight cosplay fetish she picked up after spending some time with (being kidnapped by) Chikaru. And that's when it hit her. Something so obvious, her brilliant mind had somehow overlooked it, and she mentally kicked herself for it.

She threw down the book in frustration, balling her fist and gritting her teeth. _"No sex…"_ she finally growled. _"Damn it! This is going to be excruciating." _She groaned.

The first day was stressful. The second, painful. The next day was pure suffering, and what followed was a torture. By the fifth day, she felt like she was in a living hell. After a week, Kaname was already calling Momomi trying to get her to convince her parents to leave and come back early. Momomi had admitted the days were like hell for her, too, but they would both have to occupy themselves. After becoming annoyed by the constant phone calls, Momomi had even suggested phone sex to which Kaname responded,

"You can't touch me, nor can I touch you through the phone, why the hell would I want that? It'll only make things worse."

"_Then touch yourself Kaname, if you're so irritated."_

The comment brought an extremely light, hardly visible, but definitely there, blush to Kaname's face. Her eyebrow twitched slightly as growled, "Never will I ever do such a thing, not to myself. Don't you ever suggest it again."

"…"

"Momomi? What is it?"

"… _You just blushed when I said that didn't you?" she asked half accusatory, half jokingly, muffling a few giggles._

"I'm incapable of such a thing, you know that!" Kaname argued.

"_Oh gosh, you blushed! I wish I was there to see that, it's like a once in a lifetime thing and I missed it!"_

"I already told you I didn't, don't be stupid. You're starting to sound like Chikaru, or even worse, strawberry-head." she grumbled. "I haven't had any form of mental stimulation for a week. I feel like I'm dying, this is boredom at it's worst."

"_You're overdoing it Kaname, you know that don't you?"_

"At this rate, I'll go brain-dead. I can feel it numbing."

"_Whatever you say." Momomi laughed. "Anyway I have to go, thanks for making my day! Just survive one more week for me please."_

Momomi hung up, and that was that.

After awhile, Kaname snapped and started smashing into the walls of their house, breaking everything she could. She thought that destruction would provide some kind of stimulation, but in the end, it wasn't helping her much. If her brother hadn't called on the tenth day after Momomi left, she would never have been able to make it. She started building her brother's business which was enough to at least occupy her mind. Things took a turn in her favor when Tamao called in for a little 'favor', agreeing to work in her pizza empire until she left, as means of compensation. It became better when two days before Momomi's due date to return, Shizuma appeared before her practically begging to be manipulated. It's true she was probably at her cruelest at that point, with all the stress building up and no way to relieve it. This, unfortunately for Shizuma, meant that the plan Kaname constructed for her was going to have one purpose and one purpose alone. To relieve boredom for the sadist. That, most usually meant, crushing all those it involved.

As Kaname formulated her plan, she had nearly forgotten about her long celibacy period. The next day, she didn't plan to leave the house at all, and instead told Tamao to watch the place for her. She didn't shower and didn't eat breakfast. Instead, she made herself a cup of coffee, went back to the bedroom, and sat at her laptop, researching the Aoi family. Just as she had found information on Nagisa's mother, she heard a thump in the living room. Though this would bring panic to most people, Kaname isn't most people. She calmly walked into the living room, only to find her girlfriend laying on the ground.

She quickly moved to help Momomi up, surprised to see her lover a day earlier than expected.

"What happened to this place Kaname? It hasn't even completely been two weeks yet!" Momomi complained as Kaname helped her up. "Guess I shouldn't leave you alone anymore." she smiled as she kissed Kaname.

"No, you shouldn't…"

* * *

As the couple approached the arcade, they noticed a large crowd forming around the door. Kaname raised a brow while Momomi gave a knowing smile.

Kaname acted as a plough, forcing her way through the crowd with little to no effort. She wondered what could have such a large crowd of people standing outside this particular arcade.

"Knowing these socially-deprived, sweaty, brain-dead gamers, it's probably some pretty girls or something." Kaname grumbled.

"Why thank you, Kaname!" A familiar voice called from the front of the crowd.

Kaname's eyes grew wide and a scowl formed on her face, while Momomi only muffled a few laughs. Quickly, Kaname regained her cool composure with a smirk. "Well if it isn't my born rival. What brings you to this side of town?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** _I found out that glasses make me feel smarter, whether they have lenses or not! I feel like I'm on a high right now! Or maybe it's because Christmas is here. Too bad though, no white Christmas for me, just sun and a cool breeze. Gotta love The Bahamas!_ _Anyway, why are you wasting time here, when the next chapter is already up!_


	8. A Holiday Just for You Part two

**Author's Note:** _There isn't much for me to say at this moment except, Merry Christmas! I'll try to update for the New Year but I can't guarantee because I have to work on my Fairy Tail story. Anyway, here's what you've been waiting for! Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 6:  
**_**A Holiday Just for You  
(Part two)**_

When the three arrived to the shopping district, Mr. Aoi separated from the group. He said it would be better if they bought the gifts separately, for a better variety.

Shizuma and Nagisa stuck together even though they would be buying separate gifts. Neither knew this, but they both had bad shopping habits. When it comes to grocery shopping, Nagisa can't be beat. She can find the best deals on any food item no matter where she was. However, when it comes to shopping for things other than food, she's hopeless. Nagisa would spend hours on end trying to pick out something if time allowed. Most of the times, she would usually end up going home empty handed and waited until one of her friends needed to go shopping and she'd go together with them.

Shizuma on the other hand, was a compulsive shopper who would buy any and everything she likes, even if she'd never use it. This being the result of having way too much money and nothing to do with it. Separated, they'd be hopeless, but maybe together they'd make better decisions.

"How's this?" Shizuma asked. They were in an up-and-coming clothing store that recently opened.

Nagisa was so distracted by the flashy and overly lavished clothes on the rack in front of her, she didn't bother to look as she responded. "That's great Shizuma."

"At least look before you say that." Shizuma whined.

Nagisa sighed, "Fine." She pushed back the dazzling dress that had caught her attention for quite some time, wondering where someone could possibly wear something of the sort. She looked up at Shizuma and her face instantly flushed red. "Why would you buy something like that… for my mother! It's practically strings!", Nagisa yelled pointing at the violet colored lingerie.

"Obviously I meant for me, but if I did buy something like this for your mom, I'm sure Mr. Aoi would appreciate it." Suddenly she laughed, "Then again, my intentions might be… misunderstood."

"Come on Shizuma! Focus! At this rate, we won't be able to find something… in …time."

Shizuma noticed Nagisa's auburn eyes trailing past her. "What are you looking at?"

"It's been awhile.", an angelic voice called from behind her.

Shizuma quickly turned with a finger playfully placed on cheek. "My, my. I'm not sure whether to call this a stroke of luck or not."

"It's nice to see you again, Etoile-sama." Hikari smiled.

Nagisa quickly ran to embrace her friend, both giggling happily. "I'm so happy to see you Hikari-chan! I'm surprised you're not with Amane-san!"

Hikari blushed. "I am. This place was close-by and I heard it recently opened, and I wanted to shop a little. So Amane brought me,… but it seems I've lost her in my excitement."

"Close-by?" Shizuma interrupted.

"Ah, to the meeting spot I mean." Hikari pointed out.

Nagisa looked up at her wearing a quizzical expression. "Meeting spot? Meeting for what?"

Hikari quickly placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I thought you were here because you were called by Chikaru as well."

"Chikaru called us and we heard that she called a few others from Astraea Hill as well." Amane explained as she proceeded toward the three. "I didn't expect to run into Shizuma in a place like this."

"Wherever my Nagisa is, that's where I'll be." Shizuma announced as she held said red-head into her possessive embrace. "But how interesting, it seems there will be an early Astraea reunion for us!"

* * *

"Well if it isn't my born rival. What brings you to this side of town?" Kaname asked with slight hostility.

The dark-haired girl in question had been dominating the Karaoke stage of the arcade. In addition there were three others, two of which chose not to sing, while the other was flipping through the selection book.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" she asked.

"I don't recall ever considering you a friend, Chikaru."

"Ah, is that so?" Chikaru feigned ignorance. "And I always thought we were so close. Right Momomi-san."

Kaname looked down at her girlfriend with a scowl, "You knew? And you brought me."

"You're the one who was complaining all that time I was gone about how bored you were and how you needed mental stimulation or else you were going to die." Momomi defended. "Chikaru happened to contact me before your bombardment of calls. At first, I didn't plan to come, but after you kept complaining, I decided that we would come."

"How is this supposed to help me?"

"You wanted mental stimulation, here she is. Who better to challenge your mind with than Chikaru, your sole rival?"

Kaname thought it over for a bit before an arrogant smirk formed on her features. "Fine, I accept this challenge if for no other reason, but to crush my one contender for greatest mastermind."

"Thank you, this will be fun. We can discuss your proposal another time though. Right now, we're waiting for the rest of our invited guests."

"What is this gathering for anyway?"

"Just a get-together for birds of a feather." Chikaru laughed. "It was made easier by the fact that most of us ended up coupling off anyway. Amane and Hikari, Shizuma and Nagisa, Yaya and Tsubomi-"

The fore-mentioned girl shot up, a blush as bright a pink as her hair, covering her face. In a fluster she argued, "Wha… Who ever sa- said that Yaya and I… that over-energetic girl… were a couple!"

Yaya dropped the song book and playfully grabbed onto the younger girl's shoulders. "You'll have to excuse my dear Tsubomi-chan, Chikaru. She's still in the denial stage. I'll loosen her up soon!" the raven-haired girl joked.

"Quit saying those weird things you pervert! Don't just grab onto me like that!" Tsubomi yelled as she whacked Yaya across the head.

"You two!" the blonde girl finally stood, obviously irritated. "As products of Spica you should know better and thus conduct yourselves better and more appropriately in public. Honestly!"

"And of course some people never change." Momomi commented. "Isn't that right, kaichou?"

"We've already graduated, you don't have to stay so uptight. You're not the student council president anymore and we're no longer students of St. Spica." Kaname added. "Well, most of us in any case."

"I see you two have finally hooked up though." Momomi winked at Chikaru.

"We were only waiting on Shion to realize after all. But all that waiting eventually paid off. After all, patience is a virtue."

Shion blushed. "Well, if you already knew you should have just said something." she argued.

"Let's put this behind us, after all, some more of our group has arrived." Chikaru pointed at the group of girls just forcing their way into the building.

Immediately Shizuma made her presence known as she announced, "How dare you all rendezvous without calling me? It's only manners that I be one of the first called!"

"I see you were able to make it after all." Chikaru smiled. "Sorry Shizuma, but I heard that you were already situated in the area, not to mention that you have that impeccable trait of always avoiding meetings and such." she explained. Nagisa laughed.

"That was only when attending meant more work for me. Why would I have done that when I could go patrolling for cute flowers to pluck?" Shizuma retaliated, earning a jab from her cherry-haired lover. "Anyway, we only stopped by, Nagisa and I were shopping and we absolutely need to finish in time!"

"It was nice to see your face again. Thanks for going out of your way just to come see us." Chikaru waved. _"I have a strong feeling you might be seeing me again fairly soon."_

"Hmm? You say something just now Chikaru-san?" Nagisa asked.

"Me? Not after thanking you for stopping by."

"Well then… Bye guys!" Nagisa waved quickly as she saw the streams of silver pushing back through the crowd, leaving her behind.

When the couple disappeared from their vision, Chikaru stood and smiled. "I think we should probably switch spots now. Moving back and forth through that crowd would probably prove to be a hassle."

"Fine by me!" Yaya agreed. "My throat was starting to get dry and between you and me, no one else was singing anyway. Tsubomi is a waste of a good voice."

"Yaya-senpai is a waste of a good voice! All you did was sing anime songs anyway!" Tsubomi defended.

While the two quarreled yet again, the group continued to discuss without them. "I know the perfect place, why don't we head on over to that new pizza place down the road with the so called amazing recipe. What do you think, Kaname?" Chikaru offered.

"I guess I am a bit hungry." Hikari added. "We haven't eaten for the day did we, Amane?", to which said girl shook her head.

"Ah, come to think of it we haven't eaten either. Guess that would be a good idea." Shion added.

"… Fine, I see where you're going with this Chikaru. However, don't expect any of your bills to lighten my pocket." Kaname decided.

* * *

Shizuma and Nagisa returned to shopping, but this time they changed location to a gift shop. A little more appropriate and easier to find little knick-knacks Mrs. Aoi might like. They searched the entire store but they weren't able to find anything.

Next door was another very popular clothing store, and again the pair tried their luck. This time however their gift hunting landed them in a particularly difficult situation. While the two were looking around at shoes, two masked men shattered the doors of the building, on carrying a handgun.

The two quickly made their way to the cashier while another two of their accomplices appeared in the front of the building, again only one of the two armed with a handgun. Those two made rounds through the whole store, the armed one taking the right side, and the other man took the left, the side Shizuma and Nagisa were on.

Nagisa who was panicking only felt her heart leap when one of the gunmen shot a warning fire, ordering everyone to get down. She felt the tears slip out her eyes, this was the first time Nagisa had ever been in this kind of situation. She looked up at Shizuma for comfort, but Shizuma's eyes carried a mysterious glint and she seemed to be slightly smiling.

"_Nagisa."_ She whispered. _"I didn't know things like this happened outside of movies, it's kind of exciting!"_

"_Shizuma don't you realize what's happening here? This is a robbery, we're hostages!"_ Nagisa explained to her as quietly as possible despite her thumping heart.

Shizuma, who's heart was thumping for a different reason only seemed to get more excited. As the man approached them with a bag, he yelled "Put whatever ya got in the bag! Things will be much cleaner if you cooperate quietly and just put the money in."

"Do you want just the money, or do you want our wallets too?" Shizuma questioned the robber.

"_Shizuma!"_ Nagisa scolded in as hushed a voice she could manage. _"Don't provoke him."_

"But it was a simple question. I don't feel I asked anything wrong."

"Tell ya what smartass, I'll cut you and yer friend here a deal. Just put the cash in, it's easier to deal with anyway." The man offered.

"Is that all?" Shizuma sighed almost disappointed with the lack of thrill, preparing to pull the bills from her wallet.

"Plus…" the robber added with a grin. "The red-head's coming with me. I like 'em when they got that innocent look on their face. It's fun to mess 'em up!"

He grabbed at Nagisa's arm viciously, only to receive a violent punch to the jaw. Shizuma acted on reflex, but was able to knock the man over. She quickly grabbed onto Nagisa defensively.

As the man got back on his feet, he rubbed his jaw, grimacing with a dark scowl. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BITCH!"

"Don't you dare lay a finger on my girlfriend!" Shizuma threatened.

The man reached into his pants pocket, grabbing something in his fist. His fist was swift, but Nagisa caught eye of something that shined slightly and made her heart drop.

"Shizuma, Stop!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Yea, bad note to end my Christmas update on, I know! Oh Shizuma, I've put you in yet another dire situation. I'll try and update as soon as possible, but again I won't be able to have it up by New Year's. Until then, Merry Christmas! _


	9. Silver Stained Crimson

**Author's Note:** _I couldn't update my Fairy Tail story. I couldn't think no matter how hard I tried, it's rather upsetting. So I decided to update this story instead, maybe it'll loosen up my mind. It usually does! You'll find that in this chapter, a lot of things go through Shizuma's mind, most of them not too pleasant. Will she be able to handle it? Let's find out, chapter 7, Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 7:  
**_**Silver Stained Crimson**_

"Shizuma, Stop!" Nagisa forced her vocal cords.

Her cries were a bit too late. As soon as Shizuma turned her head to console the panicking cherry-head, the man's figure loomed over her. He threw his arm back, teeth clenched and eyes turning red. He swung the limb down with as much force as he could exert.

Nagisa acted quickly and shoved Shizuma to the side, but her vision, misty with tears, was quickly stained with splatters of scarlet. The marauder grinned as he dislodged his knife from Shizuma's shoulder, watching as the insolent girl grimaced and grabbed the wound. Though the gash was painful, even Shizuma could tell that he was aiming for something worse, just barely missing her head because of Nagisa's push. No doubt, Nagisa saved her life.

Nagisa's shrieks were nearly drowned out by the collective gasps and screams from the customers near by. Bursting through their floodgates, her tears surged as she threw her head just barely above the wound.

"Bet that put you in yer place!", he cackled in the uproar. "You should know not to mess with me, I ain't afraid to go back no matter how long they send me. I'll just get back out! I ain't afraid of some little girl with a mouth too big for her to handle. I put 'em in their place and show them where girls belong."

Shizuma placed a hand on her lover's face, caressing her cheek reassuringly and placing a small kiss on Nagisa's forehead. "It's alright. Don't cry, I'm okay." she whispered in Nagisa's ear. "We'll both get out of this, don't worry, don't panic. I promise you, we'll be okay."

The assailant quickly disturbed the peace Shizuma created for her and Nagisa. He gripped a sea of silver and hoisted her up by her hair. He smirked as he saw her face screw in pain. "I don't like being ignored." he growled.

Shizuma mumbled something and her attacker was able to make out a few profanities as well as a "F*** you". He quickly raised his blood-stained knife to the bridge of her neck threateningly.

Shizuma was shaking. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid. Again, she was faced with this impossible emotion she has never felt before. This isn't how it was supposed to be. She and Nagisa were supposed to live happily ever after. They were supposed to be together, accepted by both their parents. No opposition, no worries, that's how she expected it to be.

Why?

Because she wanted it that way. That's what she wanted, so why can't she have it? Why are things suddenly so hard for her? Was it really worth it?

…

She found herself rounding back to the same question, remembering how she had recently asked Miyuki the same thing. After that, her mind went blank. All she could feel was a warm trickle trailing down her cheeks.

"I see you finally get it. Know your place and fear me." The man smirked triumphantly. Suddenly, his eyes darted to his feet as he felt a pressure near his ankle. There, Nagisa clung to his feet weeping but refusing to release him.

"Please don't hurt her. Please. I'll do whatever you want, but please don't hurt Shizuma anymore." she begged almost breathlessly.

Nagisa's pleas boomed in Shizuma's head. Only once in her life has Shizuma felt so vulnerable, like the world moved against her. Was she going to relive the numbing depression? The mental instability? Never did she expect for Nagisa to have to defend and protect her in a situation such as this. She felt like she was strong enough to at least handle the physical aspect, since not the emotional. But, even here, her weakness was proven again.

The man knocked Nagisa off him with a kick. As Nagisa squealed on impact, Shizuma felt her heart sink. This was her fault, she couldn't deny it. She struggled against the man, who responded by tightening his grip.

"You don't know when to give up do ya?" The man snarled. "Fine. Have it yer way then, don't say I didn't warn ya."

With that, his hand moved in a swift motion, slashing Shizuma's throat in a quick moment. He dropped her and watched as Nagisa held onto her, crying and screaming in a panic. Nagisa's tears flowed as freely as the crimson blood escaping from Shizuma's throat.

The silver-haired girl began to cough up blood, keeping her usually high-held head slung low. Her tears washed down the blood from her face.

As the assailant began to cackle, the rest of the customers, whom weren't crying, simply turned their heads and closed their eyes trying to drown out the scene. Their efforts were useless though, as Nagisa's crying echoed through the entire store.

Nagisa pulled Shizuma's head to a slight tilt, so that their cheeks would touch. Shizuma could only slightly tell what was going on. She felt intoxicated, like she was on some kind of psychedelic. She could vaguely hear Nagisa crying, but her lover's tears felt like fire on her cheek. It burned. Burned worst than anything she had ever felt before. Everything looked faded and every corner looked dark.

"_Nagisa…"_, she breathed the young cherry-head's name in a whisper.

It's funny, she was so scared just a few moments ago. But now, she just felt numb. She knew she was badly wounded, she knew those wounds were seeping with blood. She just couldn't feel it. She didn't feel pain. Even as that cursed man stood above her, laughing, she felt no hatred. She wasn't sad nor scared, though she was crying. The only thing she felt was the burning streaks of Nagisa's tears as they stained her face. Other than that, she felt nothing.

The man who was once working the other side of the store made his way to his partner. The bottom half of the man's face was covered with a cloth, but he seemed young. He did a brief scan of the scene before turning to his accomplice, whom was still laughing contently. He gave the man a cold glare that, as if on command, silenced him.

"What kind of trouble are you trying to get us into!" He barked causing the man to flinch.

"Hex-sama, you didn't hear the things she said to me. I have my pride as a man." he answered back uncertainly.

Before he could react, he was punched in the jaw, twisting his neck with a crack. While the blood flanked down his lip, he felt cold steel press against the bridge between his eyes. The once fearless assailant now stared down the cylindrical barrel of a revolver, swallowing air he didn't realize he was holding in.

"What damn pride do you have? Man? You're an idiot. Even worse, you're a dog." The man apparently known as Hex demeaned him. "Nah, even a damn dog can follow orders properly. You're an insect. I should crush you for this."

"Hex-sama, forgive me. Spare my life!" he begged, trembling with fear.

"Blowing your brains out would be a waste of a bullet. Honestly, letting a little girl provoke you. We get caught, I won't hesitate to make sure you never make it out again."

Hex moved toward Shizuma and kneeled in front of her, ignoring the frightened stares from Nagisa's misty eyes. He looked at the wound in her shoulder and then the slash across her neck.

He got up and sweared quietly to himself. "Well, it most likely won't be a murder charge though we could get pegged with attempted murder." He turned back toward his accomplice. "When I say we, I mean you." Turning on his heels back toward Shizuma, he rubbed his chin, then glanced over at Nagisa.

He reached down to Shizuma, Nagisa tightening her grip on her older lover. He lifted her bangs that, at that angle, hid her face from him. Her eyebrows furrowed, she watched him intently as her olive orbs met with those of light blue. He reached to touch her face but his hand was immediately swatted away.

"Don't… touch… me." Shizuma struggled to warn between breaths.

Hex smirked. He opened his mouth to say something before being interrupted by an accomplice at the register. "We have everything!" the man called.

Hex grabbed Shizuma and slung her across his shoulders, cautious of her injuries. Despite the fact that Nagisa was knocking at his feet, Hex continued on. Shizuma didn't have the strength to fight back and could only watch in a daze as Nagisa kept reaching out to her. She felt a tear slip out as the men left the building, carrying her along with them.

…

About an hour later the police arrived, one particular officer stuck with consoling Nagisa who was wailing uncontrollably even now. She hadn't moved a single muscle since Shizuma was taken away from her.

The officer in charge of the unit had finally arrived, a familiar figure whom easily identified Nagisa.

"Aoi-san? Don't tell me you were caught up in all this?" he asked adjusting his glasses.

"Mr. Rokujou's dad!" She ran up to him and threw her head on his shoulder, for the first time attempting to wipe away the misty orbs escaping her eyes.

He escorted her to the police car where another familiar face sat in wait on the passenger's side. He opened the door for Nagisa to take a seat.

"Miyuki-san?" Nagisa asked sniveling as Rokujou's father excused himself.

"Oh my gosh, Nagisa are you all right? Where's Shizuma? Why aren't you with her?" Miyuki questioned.

Nagisa felt her eyes welling up again. "They… They…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"What is it Nagisa? 'They' who? What do 'they' have to do with Shizuma?" Miyuki probed.

"They took her! Miyuki-san they have her and she's injured! They stabbed her in her shoulder and slit her throat, then took her away! Miyuki she's gone!" Nagisa let it all out in one burst.

Miyuki's eyes grew wide as she sank back into the seat. She held her head, shaking it in disbelief. "This is bad. Especially if they find out who Shizuma is." She wiped her face in an attempt to calm herself down, so she could think carefully. "Okay, Nagisa. What I need you to do is calm down and tell me exactly what happened. Can you do that, or do you need some time?"

Nagisa shook her head. "The sooner I say something, the sooner someone can help Shizuma. Right?"

Miyuki nodded in agreement and listened as Nagisa recreated the scene.

* * *

"Does something seem off to you?" Chikaru questioned as she watched the hot, stringy cheese stretch as she lifted a slice of pizza.

"So what, you're a psychic now?" Kaname nitpicked.

"Call it woman's intuition." Chikaru winked.

Tamao delivered another box of pizza to their table. Just as she turned on her heels to walk away, Yaya grabbed her wrist, a grin plastered on her face. "Come on, take some time off. Hang with us a bit!"

"I would love to, but it would have to be some other time. I'm working." Tamao answered scratching the back of her head.

"Can't you just ask your boss for some time out?" Yaya whined.

Connecting eyes with Kaname for a brief second, Tamao quickly lowered her head. "It's not that simple Nanto-san." she said nervously.

"Aww, why not!" Yaya whined. She suddenly smirked slyly, nudging at Tamao. "Just tell 'em that you suddenly started feeling sick because it's that time of the month! It's not like your boss would know any better!"

"Like I would give you any time off for that weak excuse." Kaname muttered to herself.

Noticing the glint in Kaname's eyes, Tamao knew it was time for her to cut the conversation and get back to work. Though they have a few other workers, business had been booming since the day they opened and hasn't calmed down since. Not to mention the 'little deal' between Tamao and her employer, Kaname. Tamao lowered her head again, this time as a farewell and then made her way back behind the counter.

"This is a nice place you're running." Chikaru smiled.

"So this is what you've been up to while I was gone. It's funny, I never knew you were interested in the food service industry." Momomi smirked at her partner.

"It's for my brother." Kaname defended.

"Oh him! He'll run this place into the ground in a month or two. The only reason he'll last that long is because of the good job you're doing with the place now." Momomi criticized him.

"True, he'll be in charge starting tomorrow and that's also when Suzumi-san stops working."

"This is still amazing, even for you. I knew you were good, but I didn't know it was to this magnitude." Amane complimented.

"Everything I do, I do it with perfection." Kaname smirked, "Right, Momomi?"

Momomi took the hint and got up out of her chair to sit on Kaname's lap. She lifted Kaname's chin, looked into her eyes, and smiled. "No complaints on my part.", she whispered, seductively licking Kaname's lips.

Kaname quickly returned the favor by pulling her into a deep kiss. As the two explored each other's mouths, far from uncharted territory for both involved, some of the customers simply gawked at the outward display.

Tsubomi's cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Hikari, who's face was also painted red, pointed out quietly, "Kaname, Momomi, they're staring this way."

"_So what? This is my business. They have a problem, they can leave." _

That's what they all expected Kaname to say, but instead she responded with a low, uncaring groan from the back of her throat, without for a second breaking away from Momomi's kiss. She had been away from Momomi for far too long to deny anything she was getting.

Chikaru, now ignoring the antics of the others at the table, turned to her girlfriend with a small grin. "You've been awfully quiet."

Resting down her slice of pizza, she wiped her mouth carefully before even attempting to answer. "Decent ladies don't talk while eating."

Chikaru muffled some laughter. "I don't think we can hope to be considered 'decent ladies' judging by our company." she joked, motioning her eyes to the couple who's kiss seemed to deepen every few seconds. "It wouldn't be surprising if they make their way to the manager's office any second now. We'd have to leave them though." She was able to earn a rare blush from the stern blonde.

"_Still though, some interesting gears are turning." _Chikaru smiled to herself.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Excuse me for suddenly changing the mood, I just never planned for this kind of serious plot. To be honest, I know a lot of you are probably going to wonder "What's going to happen next," but even I don't know at this point. Sorry! I'll just write as the scene plays out in my head. Meanwhile, I'm still heavily contemplating whether this story should move into the 'M' zone or not. I want to, but then I don't want to. It's confusing for me since I'm not quite ready to lose my write-ginity but a lot of you have been asking for it. Anyway, while I continue to think it over, look forward to the next update please!_


	10. It's Just Business

**Author's Note:** _It's Valentine's Day again! That means two things. 1) Love is in the air which means it's the perfect time to update this little story here and, 2) It's the anniversary of the day I released the first chapter of this. Because of this, I realized that I have been __EXTREMELY__ slow on updates, and I apologize. Believe me, I'm trying to update as fast as I can, but that hasn't been working to my favor. Even now, I had tried to update when it was actually, you know, Valentine's Day, but whatever!… So here it is, Chapter 8, Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 8:  
**_**It's Just Business**_

As the sun peaked in the afternoon sky, it glared into one particular window. Its bright, golden rays slid down satin bed sheets, bounced across wide margins from wall to wall, and finally came to rest after dancing across silver streams of hair. Frustrated by the overactive sunbeams, olive orbs reluctantly raised their blinds to scan the unfamiliar surroundings.

Slowly, a slender beauty raised herself from bed, confused and slightly frustrated. Frustration only increased when the door opened catching the full attention of the woman. The intruder made his way over to the young silver-haired girl that was staring him down intently. Paying her no mind, he took a seat in a small chair next to her bed, unfazed by the daggers she stared into him.

"You seem to be healing well." He said somberly, fishing around in his pants-pocket.

"Why am I here? What did you do to me?" The girl asked question after question with a threatening glint in her eye. She watched the man as he seemingly found what he was searching for and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. As he raised it to his mouth she intervened with yet another question. "Are you seriously going to smoke now?"

He laughed. "I wasn't going to light it. I have a bad habit of chewing on the tips." He chuckled to himself again. "It's an expensive habit, especially since I don't smoke."

There was a silence.

He was the first to break the silence when he pulled something from his other pocket. It was an expensive wallet, one quite familiar to the other person. "You're Hanazono-san right? I'm not a very formal person, so I'll be referring to you by your first name, Shizuma-san." Shizuma snatched the wallet from his hand aggressively, opened it, and after seeing what she was looking for, held it close to her chest. "I'm known as Hex."

"Why?" She asked somewhat curiously.

He traced a large scar with his finger, stretching from his left temple, past his cheek, and resting shortly below his chin. "Jonah Hex." he said simply-put.

"Who?"

He stared at her as if waiting for her to laugh or to say it was a joke. After realizing she was serious he only grinned, suppressing a laugh. "Guess you're not into comics. What else should I expect from a rich girl." He muttered sarcastically.

Shizuma rose furiously. "Excuse m-", she grabbed her throat, wrapping slim fingers around a bandaged wound.

"You shouldn't get so aggressive. You're lucky that idiot didn't hit a jugular vein otherwise, I might have thrown you in the river. Trust me, you better be grateful."

"Why should I trust you?" Shizuma argued.

Hex stood up, towering about six foot three inches in height. He loomed over her, "I'm not asking you to. Why should I ask you to trust me? Do you think I could possibly gain something from that?"

"Who knows? Maybe you won't gain anything, but I don't understand how you guys think."

"Listen, I'm in this business to gain. I live to gain. If there's no benefit for me, then there's no point in doing it."

"And what are you trying to gain by nursing me!" Shizuma rebutted, her voice gradually getting louder. "What could a young man want from a rich younger, but of age, beauty? I wonder?"

Hex fell back in his seat. He thought for a moment, rubbing his index finger through short, black stubbles on his chin. "Let's see.", he began. "If sex was what I was really looking for, you and I both know that I'm stronger than you are, I have weapons, and you're heavily injured. I could have got you in your sleep, or I could have gotten you the moment I stepped in, but neither of that happened, as you can clearly tell."

"Then why?"

"That girl you were with, she your sister, or cousin, or what?" He asked, blatantly ignoring her question.

Shizuma looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You have no business knowing that. She's mine!"

Hex nearly fell out his seat, but instead his cig fell from between his lips. He wiped invisible sweat from his forehead, breathing out air he didn't remember taking in. "I knew you two were close but, to be so frank about it. You threw me off guard for a second there." He smiled.

"Of course I'm proud to say it. And not just that, she's my love, my life, my breath, and my heart." Shizuma's voice slowly weakened as she recalled her thoughts during the incident. Sure she spoke confidently now, but whenever things get tough, her thoughts on the matter become so jumbled that she starts to question their relationship. Her love for Nagisa, as much as she didn't want to admit it, was not as strong as she made it seem.

Hex sensed the uncertainty in her voice and watched her fierce, confident visage slowly fall into a melancholic expression. "You're not as confident as you're trying to convince me."

Shizuma kept her eyes focused on her hands, clasped together on her lap. She flinched ever so slightly being faced with the reality that a stranger could so easily decipher her thoughts.

"What a surprise." Hex muttered before standing again, replacing the fallen cigarette in his mouth. "What the hell do you have to be upset about? What damn stress could you possibly have? Just like you rich people to think you face the same hardships as the smaller man."

Shizuma felt her temperature rise to dangerous levels. Her anger felt like flames in her head. "What kind of crap are you running on about! You think I don't have stresses! Are you suggesting I don't know pain!"

"You don't have to scavenge to live like we do! Everything you want is handed to you on a silver platter! People like us are crushed for the satisfaction of people like you! It's to the point where we have to sometimes resort to inhumanity to survive!" Hex's throat grated out with emotion. In his rage he didn't realize when he grabbed Shizuma's arm. "Do you even realize what true pain is?"

Shizuma couldn't say anything, all she could do was sit there with the same angry expression that was being softened by salty tears. Know pain? She lived in pain before she had Nagisa. That darkness that nearly consumed her, she remembered that chill and began to shudder.

* * *

Kaname checked her phone as she lounged in bed. She wore just a dress shirt and her plain black underwear. Momomi was in the shower after an hour of love making and was undoubtedly preparing for another hour or two of rolling around in bed with her girlfriend.

The young mastermind scanned her call log, surprised that the silver-hair hadn't contacted her yet. To be honest though, she didn't really care. Especially not now that her brown-haired lover had emerged from a steaming hot bathroom, still dripping wet and twirling a towel around in her hand. She gave Kaname that sexy stare that sent chills down her spine. It made her wonder how she made the excruciating two weeks without her succubus.

Momomi silently made her way over to her sexually starved other. No matter how much times they make love Kaname would just want more, she knew, and she was more than glad to award it to her. Every moment their eyes met for five seconds straight, it became inevitable that clothes would be shed and bodies would clash in ecstasy within sixty minutes. She crawled onto bed on all-fours, approaching Kaname, their eyes locked together by two indefinite chains called love and lust.

Kaname smirked when Momomi's soaking wet body was just above hers. The steam from her body made Kaname's shirt cling to her skin and made Kaname want her more, if that were even possible. Kaname was never one to beat around the bush and so she quickly and hungrily claimed Momomi's lips as her own. While her mouth focused on working Momomi's lips, slowly trailing down to her breasts, Kaname landed firm fingers onto her lover's thighs that slowly slid their way up to a more 'sensitive' area.

Just as Kaname was about to slip a finger inside her girlfriend, a cell phone ring intruded on their moments of heaven. Kaname growled as her phone's ring easily threw off the mood. She seriously needed to change it to something more sex-mood friendly.

Momomi sighed and lifted herself off the top of her lover, granting her access to their intruder. Kaname sat up and reached for her phone.

Kaname hissed when she picked up her phone, "This better not be that damn Shizuma." She answered the phone.

* * *

"What is it!" She accidentally roared. She heard a whimper on the other end, along with some weeping.

"_I'm sorry to disturb you Kaname-san." the girl sobbed on the other end._

"Strawberry-head? Why are you calling me? And from Shizuma's phone nonetheless."

"_I really need your help. I don't have many numbers from school and your number was on Shizuma's phone."_

"That doesn't explain anything to me."

"_Shizuma is in trouble. Serious trouble! I need your expertise to save her."_

"What does your situation have to do with me?" Kaname asked indifferently.

"_But, But-" Tears were welling up in Nagisa's eyes as she spoke in a cracked voice._

"There's no but. In no way can I gain from this, in no way does this affect me, and therefore in no way will I bother to deal with this. I'm not the police and I'm not commissioned." Kaname explained coldly.

"_Please!" Nagisa pleaded._

"It's just business."

And with that, Kaname ended the phone call.

* * *

Kaname stared down at the phone for a few seconds before being distracted by a pair of arms that snaked around her waist from behind. Momomi pressed her large breasts against Kaname's back, massaging it. She pawed at Kaname's chest and played with her earlobe using just her mouth.

She whispered. "I finally know why the spaces between buttons are so important." Playfully she slipped slim fingers through the space between the buttons of Kaname's dress shirt. She played with Kaname's breasts while skillfully unbuttoning Kaname's shirt with her free hand. "You're so cold sometimes."

"It's true I was a bit testy, but she interrupted my bedroom fun with you. I _am_ going to pull a few strings, but that's mainly because it's cherry-head asking me."

Kaname moaned as Momomi pressed closer and started to get more aggressive with her groping. "I don't know why you just don't admit that you actually kind of like Nagisa."

"That's an interesting theory." Kaname said nothing more on the matter as they sank away back into their self-created space of heaven, this time undisturbed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _This chapter was awfully short and I apologize for that. This chapter was also awfully late since it was to be updated yesterday. In case you haven't noticed , I changed the rating to 'M'. I'm not promising anything but, this is just to play it safe. Again I apologize for the short chapter. I have RSM exams next Saturday and I haven't finished my book yet. I'm not prepared, so I must go do that. Until I update again, saraba da. _


	11. Breaking Out

**Author's Note:** _I find that I'm really being swept into the Sailor Moon category recently. I have a thirst for Haruka x Michiru after finishing the anime and now going on the manga. Also I'm beta-reading now so that took up a bit of my time. So here it is, some Strawberry Panic love, chapter 9! Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 9:  
**_**Breaking Out**_

Pain couldn't describe the brutal agony each day brought. This internal suffering that could only reside within her heart and mind as her nerves died and withered to numbness. Her state of being and very identity was rocked down to its core. Though she could don a fake smile and spout empty formalities, deep down she was being tormented by the gut-wrenching memory of that day that unfortunately was stuck on loop in her mind. It replayed in her head over and over, as vivid and lucid as when she experienced it. Her hands remained icy cold just as they were as she held Kaori's hand in her last moments. Her gaze remained unbreakable, for she couldn't separate it from Kaori at that time. Her mind unresponsive because in that room, there was no one but Kaori and her. Just them. And there was no sound to be heard. Nothing but her cries that fell on deaf, far gone ears.

Kaori.

How long has it been since she muttered that name? When she met her cheerful, bright cherry head, things made for an uncomfortable change. It was like Nagisa's radiance slowly overpowered the film of the memory, forcing it to fade. Though it was a painful one, it was one Shizuma truly didn't want to forget. With no sense of closure, it felt like everyone else forgot about Kaori. It was like Kaori was completely disappearing from this world, kept alive only in one memory. But now, she's with Nagisa. And Kaori? She's there too, watching over them for sure.

Is the memory gone?

No.

But now, it seems like the ending of a book, and her new story now begins with Nagisa. Her hands were warmed by the radiant touch of the sun. Her gaze was finally broken away and she was finally able to see the world around her. The world with Nagisa. Her mind was filled with beautiful, wonderful thoughts and flights of fancy. Warm. It was a feeling she had long since abandoned, maybe even lost, but Nagisa brought it back to her. She was able to create another world from scratch and it was all thanks to Nagisa.

But now, even that world seems to be crumbling before her eyes. Why can't she build a stable foundation? Why can't she function like everyone else? Everyday her heart aches just thinking of these things.

So now, a stranger accuses her of not knowing pain? If all she experienced wasn't pain, what was it? _If it still isn't pain, then what the hell do you call it? What do you call it when you hurt as badly as I do? If this isn't 'true pain', then its something worse. _

Hex looked at her and shook his head. As he got up to take his leave Shizuma grabbed his arm but didn't bother to look at him. "What do you call it when everything that means anything to you is ripped right out of your hands? Especially when you realize you can't do a damn thing about it. What do you call it when life seems like an endless script that you can't escape from; when you're forced to relive the fake expressions, rehearsed formalities, and ennui of daily living despite the hellish inner turmoil?"

Shizuma leaned in closer to her kidnapper, turning the tables with a simple, repeated question. "Tell me Mr. Hex. Do you know 'true pain'?"

Answering a question with a question, he responded. "Have you ever wanted to take your own life?"

"Not a day goes by when I don't wonder what the hell kept stopping me."

Hex grinned before taking his seat for what seemed to him to be the hundredth time that day. This girl, she was definitely something. He noticed that from when he first saw her, but, he never really realized it until he actually started talking to her.

Hex crossed his legs, leaning back slightly in his chair. "You know, if you ask certain people, they may tell you I'm a mind-reader." He chuckled to himself and leaned in closer to Shizuma. "I may not know the details, but you lost someone special, a loved one." He watched Shizuma's expression change with curiosity. He continued, "That red-head you were with, she's the one that saved you from all that stuff you talked about earlier. Am I right?"

Shizuma nodded her head, sobbing silently.

"You know, believe it or not, when I saw you in that store, you seemed familiar to me. I couldn't figure out why, but it was like I knew you years ago. But now that I've talked to you, I know." He paused for a second and tilted his head slightly. "You're expression. I used to have that same expression when I was younger. You and I went through a lot of the same things."

* * *

"Why not!" Nagisa cried.

"What can we possibly do? Honey, there are some things we just can't help." Her mother responded as consolingly as she could muster. "We have to let the police do their job and simply hope for the best."

After the incident, Nagisa and her father decided to cancel the holiday and contact Mrs. Aoi as soon as possible. She rushed home when she heard Nagisa crying on the phone, though she didn't know the details. All she knew was that her one and only child was crying and needed her home immediately.

As she sped down the streets, skillfully evading every car in her path, she cursed Shizuma's name, convinced that she was the cause of her daughter's sorrow. But when she was filled in on the details, she didn't know how to feel. Quite frankly, she couldn't care less what happened to the silver-haired wolf that tried to gobble up her child. But, she had never seen Nagisa so upset. It was the first time she had seen her daughter cry like that.

"Mom please, I'll never ask for anything else ever again, but please this one time. Please, we have to find Shizuma." Nagisa pleaded.

That name again. "To be honest I don't see the big deal." Mrs. Aoi finally admitted. "You can always find someone else, it's not the end of the world."

Nagisa stepped back staggering a bit. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Someone else?"

"Yes, there are plenty of men that-"

"I don't want anyone else! I only want Shizuma!" Nagisa yelled. She threw her hands over her mouth. She didn't mean to raise her voice like that, but someone else? She couldn't even imagine it.

"What's so great about her!" the elder cherry head argued.

"So many things that you'll never understand." Nagisa rebutted softly. She ran upstairs, furiously wiping at the tears in her eyes.

After the echo of a slamming door, Mr. Aoi, who remained silent throughout the argument, decided to speak to his wife. "We talked about this."

"That's not going to change my mind."

"You need to at least try to accept her-"

"No!" Yumiko bellowed. "I refuse to accept the likes of her for Nagisa."

"Yumiko-"

"You can't convince me. Nothing you can say will ever change my mind."

Mr. Aoi sighed. "You're hurting Nagisa."

"Excuse me. I've done nothing but care for her. If anything, I'm protecting her from getting hurt." she spoke confidently.

"Protecting her from what? Shizuma has done absolutely nothing for you to hate her so much. All she has done since she came here was try to please us _and_ Nagisa."

Mrs. Aoi turned away from her husband, wiping away silently emerging tears. "All she did was take my child away from me."

Mr. Aoi moved in and cradled his wife from behind.

"How can you just sit back and let this happen? Yuujirou, how can you watch our baby get taken away from us?"

"She's right here. Our child is right upstairs, crying. She'll always be our Nagisa, but now she's in love. I can't stop it from happening, I can't stop her from getting hurt. But, I can make sure she ends up with someone who cares about her as much as we do. Shizuma does."

"How can you believe that? We don't know her."

Yuujirou turned his wife lovingly and looked into her auburn colored eyes. "I know because she looks at Nagisa the same way I looked at you when we first met."

* * *

"When I was in high-school, I fell in love with a girl. She was a year above me, but I went out of my way to see her, even if it was always from a distance. One time she caught me, and we started talking. As time went by, we started dating. A few days before she was meant to graduate, I asked her to meet me in a park near the school. I bought her a necklace, so she wouldn't forget about me, even after she graduated. I ran late that day, but all that was on my mind was her." Hex stopped, as if he was having trouble telling the story.

"What happened?" Shizuma urged on.

"She wasn't there." Hex finally continued. "I looked all over, I even called her phone, but she was nowhere to be found and she wouldn't pick up. I hadn't heard from her for days since then, she didn't even come to school. Finally I found out that… she…"

"She?"

Hex swallowed. "The police said that it was a bullet shot execution-style. There wasn't any motive, just a random victim who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 'It's my fault she was there.' I kept telling myself that. 'If I was just on time, or maybe even a few minutes earlier, then maybe she would've made it to graduation.' I blamed myself for two years."

"It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have predicted something like that."

"In times like that, your brain and heart tend to disagree." He gave a melancholic smile.

Shizuma nodded knowingly. "I don't think I would've lasted two years." Shizuma smiled. "I met Nagisa right in time."

"Actually, you can say that it's what got me in this business. I wanted nothing more than to find and kill whatever bastard killed her. It wouldn't be one clean, execution-style shot, like what she had to go through. I wasn't going to settle for anything less than five shots, then I was going to kill myself." He shook his head at the memory. "Last year I met my salvation, like you met Nagisa, and it was like all that hatred just disappeared. I was stuck in my self-created criminal underworld, but I came all the way back here to meet her again."

"What's her name?"

"I don't know."

"You went looking for a girl and didn't even know her name." Shizuma scolded.

"It never came up. She was just so kind, a little awkward, but in an interesting way. We only met for a short hour or two, but it was something I could never forget. I haven't seen her ever since. But, I'm pretty sure we'll meet soon enough."

There was a short-lived silence broken by the sound of Hex's phone vibrating.

"I have to take this." he said, leaving the room quick paced.

* * *

"Tamaki, I hope you haven't forgotten that the business belongs to you now. I've done more than enough for you as far as family favors go." Kaname spoke coldly over the phone.

"_Yeah, thanks sis I owe you." he said scratching the back of his head._

"Of course you do." Kaname smirked.

"_About that 'other thing'-"_

"It depends on how much it's worth to you."

"_Anything you want. You know how much this means to me."_

"Just had to ascertain. I have this situation in the palm of my hand, it's just a matter of timing."

"_I believe you, I know what you're capable of." he laughed._

"By the way, I hear you're still playing Mr. Hex."

"_Just tying up loose ends. Deals here, payments there, I'm just about finished though. Sometimes it's difficult when you can't use family money."_

"I also hear that you have in your custody a certain silver-haired client of mine."

"_Ah, you know her? Shizuma Hanazono?"_

"Yes, my biggest silver-spooned asset."

"_Listen, I can drop her off to you whenever-"_

"Don't go out of your way. I'll send some people over to get her when I'm ready for her."

"_She's injured, I thought you should know."_

"So long as she's not dead."

"_You're incredibly cold Kaname." _

"No brother, you've just gotten incredibly nice by this family's standards. Bluntly spoken, it sickens me."

"_No, I just changed, and you're going to change the same way I did. It's already starting."_

"I won't entertain that thought. I'll end this by saying, the reason I'm where I am and you're where you are, is that I know the name of the game hasn't changed. So I won't either."

* * *

With that thought left behind, Kaname hung up. Her succubus laid asleep, slung over her chest, clad in silk bed sheets. Laying a gentle kiss on the top of her head, Kaname somehow woke her girlfriend.

"You're still up?" Momomi spoke in a slight slur. "Don't you get tired?", she asked, dragging her body up to place a kiss on her lover's lips.

"I was just about to go to sleep. I needed to finish up some business first." Kaname said just before returning the kiss.

After a few seconds of kissing, they broke apart before it got to a point of no return. "You mean with your brother?"

"Yeah."

"That's it, 'yeah'? What'd he say?" she asked, sitting up to get more comfortable.

Kaname remained in silent contemplation before deciding to ask. "Am I going soft?"

Momomi could only muster up a laugh in response. "Why would you ask that?"

"My brother has this ridiculous idea that I'm going to change just like he did and that it's already starting."

"You think it's ridiculous right?"

"Of course it is." Kaname argued.

"Then don't worry about it." Momomi put simply. She plopped herself back onto Kaname's chest, her favorite spot to sleep on.

Kaname kissed the top of her head again.

"Go to sleep." Momomi mumbled tiredly.

"I will."

* * *

**Author's Note:** _This story has a lot of secrets and plots wrapping around it, some of which I hadn't even planned for. The course of this story has actually changed from the original plan, but I'm not totally lost at where this is going. Between beta-reading and writing this story, I'm not sure whether my update speed would increase or decrease. I hope the latter isn't true…_


	12. The Truth Behind It

**Author's Note: **_This chapter has been knocking around in my documents for awhile. I can't imagine what kept me from updating until now. I have nothing left to say… Without further ado, Chapter 10, Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 10:  
**_**The Truth Behind It**_

Nagisa tossed herself onto the bed she and Shizuma shared, drenching the sheets with salty tears. Normally she would try to wipe away the pesky pearls that blurred her vision, but right now, she wanted to cry. She wanted to just let it all out. Everything that she's saved up for so long just poured out. She reached out and grabbed the pillow beside her, embracing it as if it were its owner. She could still faintly smell the aroma of the expensive shampoo Shizuma used.

Suddenly, a smile crept onto Nagisa's face.

She couldn't explain why, but she smiled even though she was crying with all her might. But, just the thought of Shizuma always brought a refreshing warmth that Nagisa couldn't help but love. The red-head remembered so many wonderful ventures and amazing experiences she was able to share with the silver-haired woman.

"_-someone else-" _her mother said. That was nonsense. No one in the world could replace Shizuma.

"_What's so great about her?" _What wasn't great about Shizuma? Everything about Shizuma made Nagisa fall further and further in love with her.

As her auburn eyes wandered around the room, they suddenly fixated on a futon and blanket that were strewn about on the floor. She remembered how she had set them down by her mother's orders for Shizuma, but her silver-haired princess wasn't quite enthusiastic about sleeping on the floor. Not to mention Shizuma spent half the night complaining about her back and how difficult it was to find a comfortable position to sleep in. It was only inevitable that Nagisa would give-in to her lover's playful ranting and would end up sharing a bed with her.

She wanted her playful, immature, beautiful, exciting Shizuma back. By the time she snapped out of her reverie, she had already stopped crying. For how long, she wasn't sure.

* * *

"My, how unexpected." Chikaru grinned to herself after reading the long paragraph in the text on her phone. The raven-haired girl was sitting up on the edge of the hotel's bed, her legs crossed. The only light in the room came from the cellphone that she continued to gaze at with a mischievous smirk. "Well, I guess this adds to our game." she laughed.

"Hmm…" a voice sounded behind her with a slur. The blonde lifted herself tiredly from bed, wiping her eyes as she spoke. "Why are you still up?"

Chikaru shook her head, holding her phone over her shoulder to show her curious lover. "I just got a text."

"At this time of night? Who is it and what's it say?" Shion questioned as she leaned in closer. She reached for the phone but was thwarted when Chikaru pulled the phone back.

"Hi-mi-tsu da." She smirked with a finger placed playfully over her lips.

"What?" Shion grumbled. "Just let me see it.", she requested, reaching for the phone again only to have it pulled away from her.

Soon the two ended up in struggle for the phone; the more frustrated Shion got, the more Chikaru giggled. She teased as Shion kept futilely swiping for the phone. "Could it be, you're jealous?"

Shion's face lit up red as she refuted, "Why would I be? I'm just… curious, is all."

Chikaru laughed. "Then why are you trying so hard?"

Chikaru pulled herself up against the backboard, holding the phone above her head as she held Shion down; the latter girl still tried for the phone though she couldn't escape Chikaru's grip.

"Just admit it. You are, aren't you?" Chikaru whispered sweetly. She brushed a stray lock of hair off of the blonde's face, watching as her face softened with defeat.

"I'm just, still a little insecure… about us." The usually proud girl finally admitted. "I don't know how long this dream will last before I wake up and find out that you're not sleeping next to me. Of course I'll get jealous, I just don't want to lose you."

Chikaru kissed her girlfriend's forehead as she cooed, "What happened to that Tomori pride?" As the two locked eyes, Chikaru gave the girl her famed, refreshing smile. It was reassuring; fortifying even! It was part of the reason Shion fell in love with the liberal woman. "I'm still here and I don't plan on going anywhere. I love your confidence, so don't just suddenly lose it when you're around me. Promise?" She laughed, "If you do I'll give up the phone."

Shion closed the small gap between them, locking their lips with a soft yet passionate kiss. After hesitantly pulling away, she returned her lover's smile. "I promise."

"Ba-Ba-Bum!" Chikaru sounded, imitating some kind of drum. "Congratulations! You just earned your reward! Here." she passed the phone to Shion.

The girl looked at it but quickly shook her head, returning the device to Chikaru. "I don't need to see it. And besides, you deserve your privacy."

"Hmm…" Chikaru mused mischievously. "Well then I guess you don't care that it's from Kaname then."

"What!" Shion snatched the phone back as she raged, "What right could that crook possibly think she has for her to contact you at any hour of the night?"

She felt a pair of slender arms snake around her shoulders and wrap gently around her neck. She felt a slight static run down her spine as Chikaru's hushed voice spoke directly into her ear. _"You have the choice between reading that text and having me right now."_ The raven-haired girl moved closer until her lips were practically resting on Shion's earlobe. _"After our little wrestle, I'm suddenly in 'that' kind of mood."_

Before the blonde had any chance to respond, she found herself being pinned to the bed. Before she knew it, her girlfriend was trailing butterfly kisses down her neck, along her collarbone, then onto her breasts.

She soon found herself being lost in the pleasure, unknowingly dropping the phone she fought so hard for earlier. Her choice was obvious.

…

After half an hour of love-making, Chikaru clung onto her lover's tired body, tracing the girl's moist skin with her finger. As she remembered the ordeal from earlier, Shion searched around the bed.

"Looking for this?" Chikaru offered as she waved the cell phone around between her fingers.

"Are you messing with me?"

"Just a little bit." Chikaru winked. She dropped the phone into Shion's cuffed hands without a care.

Though a little reluctant, the thorough woman scanned the details of the text. It read:

"_The most important piece in our game seems to be  
misplaced thanks to some outside interference. I can't be  
bothered with such a pick-up, but a certain strawberry  
requested some help on the matter. So  
will the crow, along with its golden retriever,  
swipe up that silver-spoon; or will our playtime end  
with this little foul?" _

"What type of code is this?" Shion muttered irritated.

"It's not really a code." Chikaru laughed with her hand over her mouth. "Well, I guess you can call it that. I honestly didn't know Kaname had such a playful side to her.", Chikaru's laughter got stronger as the thought came to her.

"That girl? Playful?" Shion looked quizzically at the other girl. "Normally I wouldn't question your intuition, but I think you might be mistaken this time."

"Is that so?"

* * *

Nagisa was suddenly distracted by a knock at the door. "Come in." She called softly as she sat up in the bed.

Slowly, the door creaked open and through the crevice peaked a pair of auburn eyes. "It's me, is it still alright?"

Nagisa nodded.

As she allowed the rest of her form to slide into the room, Mrs. Aoi glided across the floor to take a seat next to her daughter. "Are you still mad?"

Nagisa shook her head. "I'm not mad. I just… don't understand. Why do you feel that way about Shizuma? Why do you hate her?"

"I don't 'hate' her."

"Then what is it then? Is it because we're both girls?"

"It's not that either, though it was a little hard to accept at first." The elder cherry-head bit her lip wondering if it was okay to be this honest.

"Then tell me. Why don't you want to help Shizuma? Why?" Nagisa felt the tears that she thought she had finished shedding reemerge.

"Look Nagisa, it's just…" Mrs. Aoi's eyes darted about. "-it's just…" she sighed. "I don't want to see you get hurt Nagisa."

"Get hurt?" Nagisa repeated questioningly.

"I don't want to see your beautiful, innocent heart get trampled by the likes of her."

"Shizuma wouldn't do that." Nagisa found comfort in how easily and confidently she could say that. "I know Shizuma better than anyone. She wouldn't do that to me."

"It's true I don't know Shizuma as well as you do, but I know…" she suddenly stopped and sighed.

"Know what?" Nagisa looked at her mother expectantly, but when her mother chose to remain silent, she urged. "What is it?"

"Listen, I'll tell you a little story from when I was younger." Yumiko got up and walked toward a shelf in Nagisa's room. She grabbed a dusty trophy from the top shelf. As she looked down at the silver prize, her finger gliding up the small statue reminiscently. "I may not know Shizuma very well, but I know and have been hurt by people in the same position she has. People with that kind of status are all eventually corrupted. Always."

* * *

"Yumiko, nice match! Good job as always!" The energetic younger girl passed a towel to the fighter. As the woman wiped away sweat and blood from her face, the girl started air-punching, imitating the fight from earlier. "Especially that hook in the fifth round. Pow! I knew it was over from then. You really are the best!"

Yumiko laughed, wiping her cheek. "You're exaggerating Tomo-chan." She looked down at the towel and smiled. "With this I'm in the top eight."

"Yeah! We should definitely celebrate!"

"We shouldn't celebrate too soon. It'll bring bad luck."

"Mmm…" Tomoka pouted childishly. "You athletes and your superstitions. Why can't you just have some fun?"

The two walked down the arena's halls to the outside of the stadium, laughing and conversing the whole way there. Sitting in front of the entrance was a black Mercedes Benz, laying in wait of the two. As they approached the vehicle, the driver, a man dressed in a black suit and shades, opened the doors for them.

It was a short drive from the stadium to their destination, a large agency office erected about twelve stories high. The gentleman chauffeur opened the door for them once again, allowing them out before he drove around back to the parking lot.

Yumiko and the black-haired girl were greeted by everyone in the lobby.

"Ms. Hanatsu!" A blonde woman ran up to Yumiko urgently. She panted upon reaching said woman, but continued to report. "Ms. Kiyubi requested you."

"Thank you Sera. I'll go see her right now." She waved as she dismissed the woman.

As the woman scurried off, Tomoka started to hop off as well. "I'll go secure the hotel room then, it's just about check-in time."

"Alright then." Yumiko waved the girl off as she entered the elevator.

She pressed the ten button and watched it glow up as the elevator door closed slowly. She waited anxiously in the elevator, watching the numbers illuminate step-by-step as the machine moved past every floor. Finally a clang followed by a short ring alerted her that she had reached her destination.

She stepped out the mechanism onto a lush dark-red carpet. The room was slightly gloomy but definitely gave off a business-like aura. The walls were painted blue; the only furnishings were a large desk in the middle of the room, two chairs facing it, and a sofa in the corner. The young fighter thanked the heavens that their office back home wasn't so uninviting.

Sitting behind the desk, distracted by paperwork, a woman with long, silky white hair nodded her head in acknowledgement of the cherry-head's presence. "Let me just finish this up." the woman spoke softly.

Yumiko sat down, knowing that the meticulous genius would only take a few moments. She glanced over at the wooden nameplate on the edge of the desk. The white-haired woman always demanded respect wherever she went and she didn't like being taken lightly. 'Ms. R. Kiyubi', she had it specially made in English for the U.K hosted event.

Just as she predicted, the woman was finished in no time, patting the papers together and placing them in the corner of the desk. Peeping over the rim of her reading glasses, she raised a brow. "Aren't you cold? The air-conditioner is on you know."

"It's okay." She assured looking over her appearance. She still wore the same white tank-top from the fight, though she threw on her camo-pants over her black shorts. "My blood is still boiling after that fight. I need to cool down." She groaned leaning back in the chair lazily.

When she accidentally locked eyes with the woman, she immediately felt her body cool. Those icy, blue eyes could chill down anyone, even the strongest will.

"So I assume that you won."

"Just barely." She breathed tiredly.

"Barely a win is still a win. Congratulations." Though the woman's voice didn't give off much of a warm feeling. "That means that you qualify for the main event matches. Take care of yourself."

"Actually, Tomo-chan made a proposal that we celebrate."

"We won't celebrate until you bring Japan the gold."

An awkward silence rose between the two. Yumiko didn't deal well with tension, so she broke the fragile silence. "When's my next match scheduled for?"

"I haven't gotten that information yet. But I was told that every fighter would be given at least a week of rest before the final events."

"That sounds great!" The cherry-head exclaimed as she stood up and stretched her tired form. "Maybe we should go drinking like old times, ey Ritsuko? We could visit one of those 'pubs' or something."

"I told you, no celebrations."

"Who says we have to be celebrating to drink? We should just go out and have some fun while we're here. Just you, me, and Tomo-chan. Stop playing the boring manager for a while." she pouted playfully.

The intimidating woman suddenly laughed. Although it seemed uncharacteristic due to her stern features and cold demeanor, it established a beautiful new perspective of her personality; though it was a slightly foreign gesture, it was by no means unwelcomed. "In any case, booze will affect your fighting ability. I don't want to have you wearing out your body during this once-in-a-lifetime event."

"So you're not totally against the idea of exploring a bit then." Yumiko winked. "Treat me to some cake, I think I've done well enough to deserve at least that much."

Ritsuko laughed again, but then quickly stopped herself after seemingly receiving some sort of revelation; she averted her eyes. "Maybe. I'll see if my schedule allows it." She turned around in her chair to face away from her guest. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I have some more paperwork to attend to."

Yumiko wasn't used to this kind of brushing off from her friend and manager, but quickly shrugged it off as occupational stress or something along those lines. "Later then." She waved off, receiving no form of response from the other woman who just continued to busy herself.

* * *

**Author's Note:** '_To be continued' I guess. The next story will pick up from here so don't worry your pretty little head about it. I always have such a difficult time naming these chapters and it just gets harder and harder the more I work. I also just remembered I was supposed to post this for Easter, (xp, my bad). I can see the end of this story draw near ;), til next we meet. _


	13. Throw in the Towel

**Author's Note:**_ I actually just read over One Hot Summer, and I have to say, the Strawberry Panic crew are having quite an eventful summer. Sorry for the delay, a lot of personal stresses going including final exams, national exams, etc. Thankfully it's all over now. I feel like I've been making up excuse after excuse with this story._

* * *

**Chapter 11:  
**_**Throw in the Towel**_

"It seems that Canada's Ava is showing no mercy while dealing with this fiery newcomer!" the announcer yelled with fervor. "Japan's Yumiko, despite being one of many new faces to this competition, has our former champ on her toes tonight, neither side giving in! And what an honor that we have the event's main organizer joining me at the announcer's booth tonight; what are your comments Mr. Jones?"

The old man smiled a somewhat toothy grin. "I'm just glad to see our event gathering so many superb athletes and fighters. These women are pushing far beyond my wildest expectations for this tournament."

"And what of tonight's match-up?"

"This was definitely one of the 'must-sees' of the tournament. Japan's fighter is truly bringing glory to her underdog status! I understand it's her first international competition, so to have made it thus far is already speaking volumes of her ability. However, her journey may end with Ava, I doubt she can continue this toe-to-toe with our former cha-"

"And Ava is down after being struck off guard by a vicious double leg takedown! Can you believe it?"

Mr. Jones watched the fight carefully behind the thick glass before him. His grin being replaced with a slight scowl that flashed for just a second.

"Yumiko is delivering blow after powerful blow of backfists directly to the former champ's jaw, suddenly taking control of the match! Ava's trying to snake her way out of this one but her opponent is allowing no leeway!" The young announcer quickly turned toward his guest, genuine excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Who're pulling for Mr. Jones?"

Mr. Jones quickly recomposed himself, adjusting thin-rimmed glasses and clearing his throat. He put on his best, aristocratic smile as he spoke wisely, "While it's true that Japan's fighter is very good and she really is giving Ava one hell of a fight, if you put Ava's experience into the equation, there's absolutely no way the new-comer will be able to defeat her. Therefore, the only clear choice, despite the scene before us, is Canada's Ava; or at least, this is my theory."

"Well, I guess that's one way to look at it." The lad looked at Mr. Jones slightly puzzled, though he shrugged it off. Quickly regaining his energy he turned back toward the show, clenching his fist tightly, trying to hold back a burst of liveliness creeping up on him. "Well, I guess Mr. Jones and I are on opposing sides because my money's on Japan's Yumiko. That girl has promise!"

Mr. Jones laughed throatily. "Well in any case, let's see how this goes."

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the second round. Yumiko pulled herself off of her opponent, trying to catch her breath. She slowly made her way to her corner and toward Tomoka, whom awaited her with the drive she was lacking after trying to hold off the former champ for fifteen minutes. Now that she was in the semifinals, the rules have changed to the official standard; the next round would be her last chance for a win.

"Don't worry Yumiko, you've got this in the bag!" Tomoka cheered, toweling off the fighter and handing her a bottle of water.

"I'm not so sure, I'm almost out for the count. I don't think I'll be able to handle this next round." Yumiko admitted.

"Don't let that stop you, you're younger than she is. If you're this tired, imagine her! You even had her in a ground and pound for the last few seconds! Don't start doubting yourself now, just her and then the finals!"

With that, the bell rang, initializing the final round for the match; it was now or never. Yumiko made her way back to the center of the ring, chuckling slightly as she heard her friend yell out to her, "If you lose, Ritsuko and I will make you streak straight across the London Bridge!"

…

Ritsuko sat at her desk, tapping a finger on her desk in a mix of anxiety and rampant boredom. She hasn't had much to do recently and all it did was give her more time to worry, but even worse than that, she was bored out of her mind! She was struggling with herself to stay put in case more work came up, rather than making her way to the competition to cheer on Yumiko for at least the last few seconds of the match.

Just when she rested her forehead on her desk, as if it would occupy her idle mind, a knock on the door made her fling her head right back up. "Come in."

Slowly the door creaked open, revealing her friend, head slung low as she slid herself into the room without a sound. She quickly sat down, never making eye contact with her long-time friend and manager.

"Yumiko, don't tell me you came in here just to tell me you lost." Ritsuko scolded. "I swear, I will go through with that message I left with Tomoka."

"About that…" Yumiko looked around the room while twiddling her thumbs nervously. "I made it."

Ritsuko sighed and fell back in her seat. "Well, I guess there's always next year." Looking up at her roof, it took the white-haired genius a few moments to process Yumiko's news. Furrowing her eyebrows and leaning on her table, she looked directly at Yumiko, her head resting in her hands authoritatively. "What did you just say?"

Yumiko's head shot up, her face shown with a grin from ear-to-ear. Throwing up her fist with fervor, she announced, "I made it! I'm in the finals! Aren't you pro-"

She was cut off when a large book flew into her face, knocking her backwards over her chair. The thrower held herself back as she gripped another book twice the size of a regular encyclopedia. "Don't screw around!" She rested back in her chair and sighed again. "I thought that maybe since your opponent was the former champ, you might have some trouble with her. I'm surprised that even an idiot like you can hold her own when she has to."

"Yeah, even an idiot like me." Yumiko repeated rubbing the back of her head, ignoring her bleeding nose. "I think I should go see the nurse now."

"I think you should." Ritsuko smiled slightly.

Yumiko held her nose and tilted her head back as she exited her manager's office. She walked triumphantly down the hallway, just imagining what it would be like if she won the tournament, if she brought back gold for Japan. She thought about Yuujirou waiting back home for her. She couldn't wait to go see him again, and to see his expression when she has a big, gold trophy in her hands.

A bump in the hallway snapped her out of her reverie. She turned to see a familiar man's figure, moving quickly down the hallway. She watched the man curiously from behind, but decided to continue to the nurse's office.

Meanwhile, Ritsuko was preparing to leave her office, gathering her belongings from the desk. She was planning to accompany Yumiko to the nurse's office, deciding she had gone a little overboard about the petty prank. The white-haired woman was surprised to hear a rough knock on her door. Before she could give them permission, the person pushed the door open.

"Ms. Kiyubi." The man greeted as he entered the office and made his way to the available seat in front of her desk.

Ritsuko, angered by the man's rudeness remained silent, appropriately taking her seat at her desk and crossing her legs. "Mr. Jones…" she identified him. "Event coordinator or not, I refuse to accept such rudeness towards me in my own office."

"I would have been happy to come in here to smile and laugh with you, but as you can tell, I'm miffed." he said in a grumble. He pulled his chair closer and placed his hands on her desk. "We had a deal."

"I changed my mind." Ritsuko said matter-of-factly. "Or am I not allowed to have a change of heart?" she challenged.

"Don't take me as a joke!" Mr. Jones pounded his large fist on her desk, attempting to threaten her. However, the cold woman didn't budge. "Change of heart? Screw that! Japan was supposed to go down this round; if I had money on that you would have been in some serious trouble."

"You think I'm supposed to be scared of you? I've dealt with bigger and badder, and an old man with as much years on his life as there are grays in his head, doesn't frighten me in the least."

"We've discussed this time and time again, and yet you continue to ignore me. But not this time. I have a little bit of an, 'assurance' if you will. Something I'm sure you won't be able to refuse."

Mr. Jones leaned back, a smirk emerging on his face. He fished around in his pocket. In a flash, bills ranging from tens to hundreds invaded the air around Ritsuko's desk, the genius woman never breaking the deadlock between her icy, cold eyes and the shimmering pupils belonging to Mr. Jones.

"Are you bribing me?" She raised a brow.

"This and that are totally unrelated. I have to say, Japan's surprise victory really had everyone tuning in. This is my thank you." The old man continued their staring challenge, surprisingly unnerved by Ritsuko's patented glare. "I have another means of getting you to understand your situation: a piece of information that you probably wouldn't want your prized fighter and close friend to know."

"So blackmail then?" Ritsuko closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I'm calling your bluff."

"Oh…" Mr. Jones smiled.

Yumiko had just left the nurse's office and was making her way back to Ritsuko's office in hopes she could catch her before she left. Just as she was about to knock on the hard wood door, the young cherry-head heard muffled voices on the other side. Curiously, she pressed an ear to the door, listening intently.

She heard a slam and then the distinct voice of Ritsuko, raised to a tone she had never heard before. She can't imagine would could have Ritsuko so angry. She pressed as close to the door as possible, trying to make out the conversation.

"_I swear, if you say anything I'll-"_

"_My lips are sealed as long as you do as you're supposed to." a deep-man's voice interrupted. _

_Ritsuko remained silent for awhile before finally giving in. "Fine. I'll talk to her. I'll make sure she throws the fight."_

Yumiko gasped sharply. She knew the two were discussing her, discussing her… losing on purpose. She couldn't believe her friend would make any kind of deal like this.

Before she could move away, the door swung open, causing her to fall to the floor. Ritsuko watched the cherry-head with widened eyes.

"You two have much to discuss. I'll be taking my leave then." Mr. Jones left the two alone, smiling victoriously.

Yumiko lifted herself, taking notice to the large amount of money scattered on the desk and floor. It was easily a few thousand. She looked at Ritsuko incredulously. "You sold out?"

"Don't jump to conclusions Yumiko."

"Then what, so you weren't discussing me 'throwing the fight'? So you weren't selling my hopes and dreams for a few thousand dollars? So what was it then?"

Ritsuko bit her lip nervously. "It's hard to explain, but, at the next match, you absolutely have to lose."

"NO! For what reason would I throw away everything I've worked so hard for?" Yumiko yelled at her manager for the first time in her life.

"There's a perfectly good explanation for this.", she tried to calm the fighter down.

"Then tell me!" Yumiko ordered.

"I can't!" Ritsuko yelled back. "I can't tell you right now."

Yumiko shook her head. She turned her back to the white-haired woman and spoke softly. "You can't stop me. In the finals, I'm going to fight seriously."

"If you do, I'll throw in the towel myself."

Yumiko couldn't believe her old friend betrayed her, _"…and for money."_, she thought to herself. "Ritsuko, I thought you were better than that."

She walked out of the office, head hung low and she didn't speak another word to the other woman.

"Yumiko, wai-" the door's slam cut her off mid-sentence. She ran to the door to catch Yumiko, but it was too late. She made it in time to see the fighter running into the elevator.

Still, she tried to catch up. The door of the elevator closed before she could make it and she was forced to take the stairs. Ritsuko was the manager for an MMA fighter, however she was far from being an athlete. Still, she forced herself down seven flights of stairs, in hopes she could reach before Yumiko. By the time she made it down, the fighter was already making her way to the front doors of the building.

Holding her chest, her lungs feeling heavy after such a brutal workout, she called out to her friend once more. "Yumiko, please wait." Her cries fell on deaf ears as said girl walked out the door. Ritsuko fell to her knees, immediately being surrounded by everyone in the reception hall.

Being a genius was one thing, but Ritsuko was born into a rather wealthy family. Her mother was a well-known business woman who worked on an international level. As a result, the young genius always had people to do the hard work for her; she never had to do more than walk in and out of buildings or do paperwork. This was the hardest she had ever pushed her body and she was definitely suffering for it. Her heart felt like it would burst and her lungs felt like they were going to collapse. She always had a weak constitution, it was the reason she and Yumiko became close and eventually business partners in a sense, and it was the reason she developed her cold glare as a form of self-defense.

She just couldn't regain her breath and as a result an ambulance was called for her.

Yumiko ran to the nearest payphone stall. She leaned against the glass walls as she unhooked the phone. When she was about to dial, she realized she didn't have any money on her. She put the phone back on its hook and pulled out her cell-phone.

Looking out at the dark streets, the distraught cherry-head listened to the ring on her phone until finally there was an answer.

"_Hello?" the voice mumbled on the other side of the phone._

"Did I wake you?"

"_Ah, Yumiko! What's wrong, you sound upset. I heard you won your last match; you should be excited, you're in the finals now."_

"It's not about that."

"_What's wrong?"_ _the voice repeated._

"I'm… I'm coming home Yuuji.", she couldn't fight the tears now rolling down her cheeks.

"_What? Why? Are you nervous?" Yuujirou began to worry. "This is your dream, you're almost there."_

"No Yuuji, I'm coming home. I'm taking the next flight to Japan, I need you right now.", she admitted, twirling the payphone's wire between her fingers.

"_I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you're absolutely sure that's what you want, I can't stop you." Yuujirou spoke with slight understanding._

"I'm sure this is what I want." She assured.

_Yuujirou sighed, but gave in. "Then… I'll see you soon then. Love you."_

"I love you too. I can't wait to see you."

She listened until she heard a click and the call disconnected. She held her cell-phone in her hand, sinking into the corner of the stall, finally allowing herself to cry as loudly and bitterly as she felt.

Within twenty-four hours, she was on her way to Japan and about a week after arriving, she got her silver trophy and prize money in the mail. She and Yuujirou finally went through with their wedding they held off due to the tournament and in a few months, the couple were expecting their first daughter. Yumiko went on with her life, dropping out of the MMA ring for good.

* * *

"You understand now Nagisa. You see what I'm trying to tell you. Shizuma and Ritsuko, they're the same, you'll only get hurt in the end." Mrs. Aoi explained, forcing tears back in her eyes.

"I don't understand. If Ms. Kiyubi's family was rich, why would she let herself be bribed?"

"Her mother had her on a fixed fund, she only got a certain amount every two months. She wasn't rich, her parents were. That was probably why."

"You're saying that Shizuma will betray me, like how your friend betrayed you?" Nagisa said more for herself rather than to her mother.

"I don't want your heart to be broken Nagisa. I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do if something devastating happened to you." Mrs. Aoi reached out and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

Tears were now starting to run from Nagisa's eyes as well, even though she wasn't sad. Even though she didn't need to, or want to cry. "If that _is_ what's going to happen, I don't care." Nagisa decided. "I'd rather stay with Shizuma until the bitter end, creating a number of good memories. I want to help Shizuma because right now, she's the person I love and want to spend the rest of my life with, and right now, she feels the same way about me. That's why… even if you don't want any part of it, I'm going to help Shizuma. No matter what."

Nagisa broke from her mother's embrace, looking into her eyes with determination. "Nagisa, you'll regret it if I'm right."

"I don't mind. I'll regret it even more if I don't save her." Mrs. Aoi sighed, still slightly unconvinced. Nagisa realized this and continued, "You had to choose between purposely losing the match, or forfeiting and coming back to Japan. Don't you regret leaving, even though you know you would have regretted it even more if you had gone through with throwing the match?"

Mrs. Aoi nodded knowingly. "You've grown up Nagisa, I guess it's me who didn't realize it. You can make your own decisions." She wiped her eyes and smiled, holding up her pinky. "I promise to support you no matter what from now on, as long as you promise me you won't act on impulse…", she winked playfully, "…and that you won't blame me or your father if things go bad."

Nagisa laughed and locked her pinky with her mother's. "I promise, it's all on me."

"We'll find her, I promise we will."

* * *

**Author's Note:** _This chapter gave me quite the headache, but now I'm absolutely sure where I'm going with this story. I have to admit, I was a little bit lost since I ended up straying away from the original idea, but now I'm back! I'm trying to finish this story before Summer ends and I have to go back to school. I don't know exactly when that is now, but hopefully I'll make it in time. Until then, adieu! _


	14. The Crow

**Author's Note:** _Well here I am with another update! I'm proud of myself __ . I think I've had a lot of secrets going on in this story, but we're slowly coming to the dramatic conclusion, by then, everything should revealed ;). Really long title here, but anyway… Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 12:  
**_**The Crow, the Golden Retriever,  
and the Silver-Spoon**_

_A near-full moon shone brightly, accompanied by the tiny sparkles of shimmering stars, watching imposingly over the small city. The city was aglow with light, artificial and otherwise, providing a restless atmosphere; however, not every corner gave-in to the radiance and not every alley was as accommodating. Within the guise of the shadows, a tall male hid away from the light, pacing back and forth in the arms of the darkness. Every so often, he would approach the light, curiously peeking his head out. With hair as black as midnight and eyes as red as blood, the night was characterized in his face as the light gleamed from his eyes._

_The empty road and quiet dullness were soon disturbed by a small, black Mercedes Benz, inching its way toward the man's refuge. Its old-fashioned, gothic style and clattering wheels blended in appropriately to its surroundings. Coming to a complete stop, a young mysterious beauty revealed to be the driver of this eerie vehicle, her piercing, golden eyes staring deeply into the man. She was accompanied by another young woman who sat stern in her seat, hair blonde in color and deep-blue eyes suited to an intellectual._

_The duo exited their black chariot, approaching the man with authority. "Hex-san, I presume." the driver spoke with a slight melody in her voice._

_A swift chill ran through the city, brushing past the three, accentuating the stillness. The man finally allowed himself to be completely bathed in the light, stepping out of his narrow hideaway._

_"I am, and you must be…"_

_Sliding a thin finger playfully through silky, raven hair, "Isn't it obvious? I'm the crow."_

* * *

"Well?"

Shion held her throbbing head, quickly becoming more and more irritated. "What do you mean 'well'? How do you expect me to respond?" she growled at her lover.

"Well, I liked it." Hex commented, straddling a chair. "You have a real eye for detail Chikaru-san! It sounds like the opening to a… a-" Snapping his finger for emphasis, "A mystery. One of the old classics like Sherlock Holmes, with the detectives and stuff."

"You think? I was aiming for that, but I wasn't quite sure I pulled it off." Chikaru spoke modestly.

Nodding his head assuredly, "You definitely pulled it off."

"Well I'm glad I was able to get your input Mr. Hex." Chikaru smiled. She moved her hand to create a barrier between her lips and her lover, though it was pointless since she spoke in an exaggerated whisper to Hex. "You see, Shion doesn't really have much of an appreciation for this type of thing and she usually just gets all frustrated over it."

"Well how do you expect me to get when you randomly narrate strange scenes at the most awkward times!" Shion intervened with a yell, a vein visible in her forehead.

"And she eavesdrops too." The raven haired girl continued to tease her frustrated other, earning a low growl from the former Spica president.

"You need to loosen up a little Tomori-san." Hex laughed. "Sometimes you just have to go with the flow."

"Isn't it that you two are getting a little too carried away?" Shion asked, calming down slightly. "We did come here for a reason you know."

* * *

Shortly after receiving the text from Kaname, Chikaru got dressed. Shion watched curiously, constantly attempting to discourage the girl from leaving.

"How can you trust going anywhere that _outlaw_ sends you, especially at this time of night?" she argued. "For all we know, she could be setting you up to get abducted by some of her criminal underlings."

Chikaru laughed at the accusation. "I told you before, Kaname is surprisingly playful; she wouldn't allow anything to happen to me before our 'little game' is over."

"I keep hearing about this 'game' thing, what are the two of you up to?" the blue-eyed girl asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, just a game to see which of us can obtain the silver-spoon first."

"There you go again." Shion sighed. "What's with this code and why can't I know?"

"Well, based on what Kaname replied after I agreed to help, a thief seemed to have accidentally swiped up the spoon and has agreed to return it. I have to meet him at a predetermined location."

The blonde hopped out of bed in a huff. "You can't go to meet some guy you've never seen before, who knows what will happen?"

"It's alright Shion, I don't think anything will hap-"

"I'm coming with you." It was more of a statement than a request, seeing as how the blonde immediately started getting dressed.

"My, my, guess I don't have a choice then." Chikaru giggled to herself.

The couple left their hotel room and made their way to the parking lot where Chikaru parked an old, classic Mercedes Benz, gifted to her by her father. They drove out to an alley, not too far from the shopping district, which Hex used from time to time as a refuge. There, a medium-sized shop that was seemingly abandoned had been transformed into a three-room vacation home by the seasoned criminal.

Hex quietly awaited their arrival, leaning in a chair, chewing on a cigarette's tip empty-mindedly. He was bored, especially now that Shizuma had dozed off for a well-needed rest. When he finally heard the patter of an engine go silent just outside of his waiting place, he immediately went to the door to receive his guests.

He had met Chikaru and Shion when he was much younger and they, along with his younger sister, were just entering middle school at their respective sister schools. He also got another chance to see them at the combined graduation ceremony, though only for a short time as he only came to show his face. A graduation ceremony for one school was long; imagine three in one!

In any case, Hex was a bit surprised to hear Chikaru suddenly start narrating but it was easy for him to be swept in her flow. Any form of entertainment was openly welcomed.

* * *

"It'll be okay even if we don't rush things." Chikaru defended nonchalantly.

"Well excuse me if I'd rather be in bed at this hour." Shion yawned. "It's been a long a day."

"Yea, I don't think it's a good idea for me to keep Kaname waiting." Hex laughed, scratching the back of his head. "C'mon, your 'silver-spoon' is in the backroom." he got up tiredly.

He moved toward a heavy, iron door, forced the rusted lock open and pushed the door through. Shion observed curiously, a little anxious to find out what this 'silver-spoon' really is.

They walked into what seemed to be a bedroom. It was poorly furnished, the only exception being an extravagant, satin-covered bed, sitting in the far corner of the room. The three approached the bed, Shion being the only one not knowing what to expect.

"I should warn you, there is some neck damage, though it's nothing serious." Hex admitted.

"Kaname did mention something about that." Chikaru said with finger placed thoughtfully on her chin. "Well, I guess it should be okay. As long as it isn't anything to worry about."

A thin sheet stretched from the tip-top of the tall bedpost, revealing only as much as a silhouette laying amongst the sheets and pillows of the luxury bed. The three stopped right to the side of the bed, Chikaru gesturing to her lover to take a seat in an available chair. Hex pulled the sheet across, revealing the identity of the silhouette as Shion's eyes grew wide. There, laying among the expensive bed sheets, was their 'silver-spoon'; or rather a silver-maned Shizuma, laying, peacefully dreaming.

The former Spica council president looked in awe as the other two only exchanged glances, clearly amused by her reaction. "Shi-… Shizuma is the silver-spoon you keep talking about?" the normally articulate girl stuttered.

"She must have been quite a handful for you to manage Mr. Hex." Chikaru playfully ignored the other girl's question.

"At first she was a bit troublesome…" the black haired man confessed. "But after awhile, we just ended up talking and then within a few minutes, she dozed right back off to sleep." Suddenly, he laughed. "She was full of energy while she was ragging on me. I left to take a quick phone call, about a minute or less, and when I came back she was out cold."

"Well, it is a stressful situation, I can see why she was so exhausted." Chikaru rested a gentle hand over Shizuma's bandages caringly, causing said girl to stir a little in her sleep. "Besides, with this injury, it's better for her to get a lot of rest."

"I'd like to get some rest, too." Shion muttered to herself.

"Don't worry love, we're leaving right now." the black haired girl assured, laying a soft kiss on the blonde's neck. She turned to Hex playfully. "If you would be so kind as to help us carry Shizuma to the car, it would be greatly appreciated."

"That goes without saying." Hex wheezed as he lifted Shizuma into his arms, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty. She mumbled something in her sleep, but thankfully, she continued her slumber.

The three walked towards Chikaru's antiquated Benz, the couple leading the way. Hex whistled in amazement as they approached the car.

"That's an SSK from 1932, isn't it?" Hex asked with the excitement of a young school boy.

"You have quite an eye, it's a classic piece of machinery." Chikaru boasted. "They use it very often in old detective movies; I've wanted one ever since I was a little girl. Thankfully, father collected antique cars."

"It suits you well Chikaru-san, you have an… interesting personality. Sort of mysterious."

The girl only chuckled in response.

Hex cautiously rested Shizuma in the backseat, allowing her to stretch out across the fine leather. Chikaru slid herself behind the wheel while Shion strapped into the passenger's seat. Hex took a step back as the young liberal started up the engine with a sputter. He smiled and waved the couple off as they pulled onto the road and slowly ebbed away into the night. After a long day, he looked forward to finally getting a good night's rest and, with a heavy yawn, returned to his hideaway.

Meanwhile, the duo made their way back to the hotel, their mission complete. Shion gave into sleep within a few minutes of their departure. As Chikaru drove along, she happened to glance Shion in the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. With one hand on the wheel, she reached over to the blonde with her free hand. She touched the girl's wide forehead, giggling slightly, and then brushed away a few stray strands from her face lovingly.

Slowly, the sleeping girl stirred and opened her eyelids slightly, allowing her blue orbs to lock onto those of gold belonging to her lover.

"Did I wake you?" Chikaru asked apologetically.

"Yea…", was the only response the disoriented girl could muster. She wiped her eyes as she fixed in her seat. "Are we almost there?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"No love, you can go back to sleep. We're only about halfway there."

"Shizuma didn't wake up yet?"

Looking into her rear-view mirror, the raven haired girl looked over the former Etoile. "She's still sleeping back there, no need to worry."

Satisfied, Shion allowed sleep to take her once more.

After another twenty minutes of driving, they finally pulled into the hotel parking lot. Chikaru carried Shizuma on her back while Shion groggily teetered down the halls.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can help you know." Shion offered, though contradicting her claim with a yawn.

"It's alright, I'm stronger than I look." Chikaru smiled. "Besides, you're barely keeping yourself up. I'm fine."

Although she opened her mouth to argue, Shion realized that what Chikaru said was true and left the matter alone. They took an elevator up to their room. There was an extra bed that the couple would never use, so Chikaru set Shizuma down in that one.

The blonde anxiously scrambled into bed without bothering to undress. Meanwhile the raven haired girl sat in bed with her phone, informing Kaname of her successful pick-up. She crawled into bed right next to her girlfriend, kissing her forehead before wrapping her arms around her. Although she hadn't shown it, she was fighting sleep the whole time as well. She was glad to finally be able to rest for the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ I know I probably confused you guys in the beginning but just to clarify, the introduction was a narration by Chikaru. Also, I know this probably doesn't make a difference but in chapter 7, I made a mistake. The cop in that chapter was Miyuki's uncle, not father, I messed up. Those of you who read One Hot Summer may remember he was also mentioned in that story. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't acknowledge that mistake -.-' . Anyway, until next chapter Selamat malam._


	15. Uninvited Family Surprise

**Author's Note: **_Seriously? __Classes… in the middle of summer… SERIOUSLY! Anyway, due to some unforeseen circumstances I will be attending summer classes throughout July and will therefore, be tired, upset, stressed, or any combination of the three -.-' . I hope I will still be able to update as often as I had planned to. But here's one now, Chapter 13, I'm glad I was able to wrap up the night scene in the last chapter, this is where things start getting good! Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 13:  
**_**Uninvited Family Surprise**_

By seven o' clock the next morning, the Aoi household was alive with energy. Busy bodies buzzed around the humble abode, getting ready for any and everything. They packed as if they would be gone for days: canned foods, a case of bottled waters, snacks, and even hygiene supplies like their toothpastes and toothbrushes, and even a few flashlights. They were planning to search non-stop, day and night for Shizuma. Nagisa was brimming with confidence, especially now that her mother agreed to help with the search.

"Uhh, mom… what's that for?" Nagisa asked, eying the object in her mother's hand.

"Oh this! They're brass knuckles, you never know when you'll need them." she said, happily but carefully concealing it between the folds of some clothes. She zipped up the small backpack she was packing.

"But they had guns mom, I don't think fighting them with that will be a good idea." Nagisa suggested.

"Don't worry, I have '_other_' things for that." Ironically using her most angelic voice while tapping on the bag.

Before Nagisa had time to question, the door bell rang followed by her father calling out, "I'll get it!"

After a few moments Mr. Aoi called out to his family again, "Nagisa!"

The young cherry-head made her way out to the living room, curious to see why she was called. As she entered the room, her eyes grew wide to see the sight before her. Sitting nonchalantly in their chair with her legs crossed authoritatively was a person who was at the bottom of the list of people Nagisa would have expected to see.

"It's been a while strawberry-head." she smirked.

"Kanam-, err… Kenjou-san." Nagisa bowed nervously.

"Now, now, even I respect the ways of traditional Japan." the mastermind spoke matter-of-factly as she rose from her seat. "You shouldn't bow to me in your own home."

Mr. Aoi watched as his presence seemed to have disappeared within moments.

"As of old tradition, I also come bearing gifts. Momomi should be bringing our 'special treat' shortly." she explained.

"Um, thank you." Nagisa drawled nervously, wondering what kind of gift it would be. _'What if it's a bomb and it blows up the second I open it?'_ She began to sweat at the thought. _'Or maybe an animal, like a cat, with some strange disease created in a lab that'll spread in its dander.' _Nagisa began to shiver. _'Or_ _even worse! A poisoned cake! I won't be able to resist!' _at this point the cherry-head sank to her knees with a grim expression, holding her head as she inwardly screamed.

Kaname watched with a smirk, amused at the younger girl's antics. She had a good guess of what Nagisa was thinking, and she didn't mind playing along.

Momomi opened the door without warning, carrying a small box in a plastic bag. "It took me awhile to find a decent parking." she winked, approaching the dark haired woman. Kaname sat down, inviting Momomi to take a seat in her lap, an offer that was accepted almost immediately.

Mr. Aoi cleared his throat, forcing his presence to be known. "Um… sorry to interrupt, but may I ask who you are?" the old man asked politely.

"Ah you must be the head of the household, Mr. Aoi I presume." Kaname greeted, noticing the man for first time despite the fact that he opened the door for her. "I am Kenjou, Kaname. I was a representative of the St. Spica student council and as a result, worked with the Etoile, Shizuma, from time to time. That is how I came to meet your daughter." she explained professionally, offering her hand.

Mr. Aoi accepted the hand in the form of a strong, firm shake. "Kenjou huh…" he repeated, stroking the black and gray stubble on his chin. "I know that name from somewhere."

"You should, my father owns the company you work for." Kaname smirked, the two still engaged in their handshake.

It took Mr. Aoi awhile to process the information, slowly reducing the speed and strength of the handshake until, like an old computer, he finally finished processing the data. He gave a nervous smile as he released Kaname's hand. In a flash, he bowed low, quickly blurting out, "Of course the Kenjou family is always welcomed with open arms into this humble household. Really, ask for anything you want and don't be afraid to get comfortable. Mi casa es su casa!" ending his ranting with an anxious chuckle.

Nagisa covered her face as her cheeks shined bright red with embarrassment. _"Dad, stop. It's embarrassing."_ Nagisa whined to her father barely above a whisper.

"Like I told strawberry-head, you don't have to bow to me in your own household." Kaname reiterated.

"My bad." he apologized, still chuckling slightly. "And you must be?" he asked, directed at the brown haired girl.

"My name is Kiyashiki, Momomi. My circumstances are the same as Kaname's." the girl didn't bother herself by repeating Kaname's introduction. "Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice." she smiled.

Momomi extended her hand to offer the gift she and Kaname brought to Nagisa. The usually cheerful girl hesitantly accepted the offering, shaking slightly. Momomi paid no mind to the younger girl however, Kaname decided to exploit the girl's suspicions.

"Don't worry, it's just a cake." she devilishly added, somehow reading Nagisa's mind.

Nagisa's physical restraint was visible as she bit her lower lip to avoid giving into the temptation.

"It's very good, baked by one of the finest patissiers in all of France. He was brought all the way to Japan, so the cake is still very freshly made. I recommend eating it right away." Kaname continued to tease, growing even more entertained when the smaller girl let out a frustrated squeal.

In a sudden burst of energy, Nagisa gave into the temptation, flipping open the lid to the box, revealing a beautifully decorated and obviously expensive cake. She eagerly took a small dessert fork that came in the plastic bag and stole a big bite from a slice of the treat. With a satisfied tear in her eye she smiled, "I regret nothing."

"Let's hope not." Kaname retorted with an impish grin provoking a shiver that shot down Nagisa's spine and put her in a confused stupor.

"Oh, we have company." an angelic voice called from the kitchen, making her way into the living room.

"Ah honey, perfect timing. This is Kenjou, Tamaki's daughter, Kaname-san. And this is her company Kiyashiki, Momomi-san." Mr. Aoi gestured toward the two.

Yumiko approached the couple, her cherubic face glowing. She shook hands with Kaname first, being the closest to her. At that moment, it was like two dark aura's clashed viciously with one another, neither side giving in. Kaname laughed quietly to herself, mentally acknowledging the woman's power. _'She's quite a woman. I can see why Shizuma is having problems with her.'_

After those two withdrew from their telepathic battle, Mrs. Aoi moved over to Momomi. As she shook the girl's hand, she stared into her dark-brown orbs, apparently mulling over something. After it became a little to uncomfortable for the Spica graduate, Momomi decided to break the silence. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Your eyes… they seem very familiar to me. But I can't figure out how…" she explained cryptically.

Realizing how strange her reasoning sounded and how uncomfortable she was making their guests, she pulled away from Momomi, though still contemplating the thought in her mind.

"Can I offer you two some tea?" she broke the tension that she herself created.

Momomi shook her head as Kaname spoke for both of them. "We don't plan to stay very long. We're only stopping by."

"Stopping by?" Nagisa repeated, snapping out of her stupor.

"I have some 'business' to tend to not so far from here. I decided that I'd stop by on my way and soak up some hospitality." Kaname spoke smoothly with a grin.

"What kind of business do you do?" Yuujirou interjected, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

Nagisa rested a hand on her father's shoulder disapprovingly. Shaking her head, she whispered "You don't want to know.", leaving a puzzled expression on her father's face.

"Now, now Nagisa. You make it sound like we're bad people." Momomi mused. Turning to the elder Aoi, she explained, "It's hard to place what we do into a single category, but if I had to, I would say we're merchants."

"We buy and trade anything that could be of use and sell what we have collected for a decent profit." Kaname added, resting her hand in her palm. "It's an interesting business that allows you to establish many meaningful ties. We pride ourselves on being able to meet any client's needs and thus a tie is created after successfully completing a transaction. As a result, our sources branch out rapidly and we have an easy access to the world, so to speak, and the process repeats itself accelerating with every round."

Mr. Aoi blinked, his mouth agape as he donned a blank expression. He was completely lost. "So… you're merchants?"

Kaname sighed, realizing her wasted breath. With a nod, she confirmed, "Yes, we're merchants."

"You say you can get anything, right?" The elder cherry-head asked, determined.

Kaname's eye twinkled, understanding the underlying challenge. "For the right price."

"You know Shizuma Hanazono, right?" Mrs. Aoi asked, although she already knew the answer. It seemed that Nagisa was the only one still at a loss here, still munching on the cake. "You're informed of her situation aren't you, with all your 'sources'."

"Yes, very well." the mastermind already knew where she was going with this.

"How quickly can you find her?" she quit beating around the bush.

Nagisa looked at her mother wide-eyed, nearly dropping the deliciously expensive cake in her hand. "Mom, not them, we can do this on our own." she defended. Her face dropped as she remembered the phone call she made the night before. She pleaded with Kaname, and she downright refused to help. "Besides, I already asked, she already said n-"

"Hold it right there strawberry-head." Kaname intervened, slightly shocking the small girl. The dark-haired girl gestured to her succubus to get up so she could stand. Momomi replaced Kaname in her seat, while the dark genius rose up and walked toward the elder strawberry-head. "It depends, what do you have to offer?" She locked eyes with the woman in a mutual dead-stare.

"That depends, what's your price?" the former MMA fighter stood her ground.

"Hmm, I respect your style." Kaname snickered as she broke the deadlock by stepping back. "But unfortunately, I cannot accept any offer on such a job. It would contradict prior arrangements with another client of mine."

As the former fighter stepped forward threateningly, a knock at the door followed by the ringing of the bell distracted everyone inside. Without permission, the intruder allowed themself in as if expected or invited.

"Pardon my intrusion." the raven-haired trespasser greeted.

"It took you long enough." Kaname spoke smugly.

"Yes well, we ended up sleeping in this morning." She giggled.

"Chikaru nee-san!" Nagisa yelled excitedly, leaping into the arms of her favorite senpai, second only to Shizuma of course.

"Nagisa-chan, nice to see you again." she spoke with the usual melody in her voice.

The two parents only stood back and watched as their house was being invaded by strange characters, one after the other; all making themselves at home, even without the invitation to do so. They didn't bother to make a scene of it though, they only exchanged wise and knowing glances. The pair had left their daughter alone for so long, she practically raised herself. It was no wonder they would fade away with the presence of the family who was with her when they weren't.

"Actually you know Nagisa, I brought you a little something special!" Chikaru charmed as if talking to a child. "Close your eyes and don't open them 'til I tell you to. Okay?"

The overzealous cherry-head nodded and quickly obeyed Chikaru, a risk she wouldn't have taken as lightly had it been Kaname. Said red-eyed woman watched Chikaru work with interest. The raven haired girl bounced outside quickly, gesturing to her blonde partner to bring their gift and just as speedily came right back in.

Both parents stood wide-eyed as they saw the gift Chikaru spoke of, while the troublesome duo of Kaname of Momomi only smiled. They didn't make a sound however, complying with Chikaru as she placed a finger over her mouth to shush them. Mrs. Aoi barely fought her welling up tears as her husband smiled and pulled her closer; being the more emotional one in the pair, he allowed his tears to flow freely down his cheeks and soak his stubble. Shion stood against the wall, giving a silent greeting to all those present in the room with a nod.

"Put out your hand." Chikaru ordered sweetly.

Slowly Nagisa raised her hand, feeling something soft but firm being placed in her hand. It was larger than her hand but fit in her palm so easily.

"You can consider this a joint gift from Kaname and I." she spoke, looking up at her mentioned rival, receiving a nod of approval. Chikaru smiled softly. "Well, can you guess what it is?"

"It's warm and soft. And bigger than my hand." Nagisa deduced by rubbing her thumb over the gift. "It's so familiar." she said softly.

"Open your eyes Nagisa." as she couldn't hold the girl in suspense any longer and wanted to see her expression.

She opened her eyes slowly, allowing it time to adjust from seeing double or even triple, but what she saw, she wasn't nearly prepared for. As the three hallucinations pulled themselves into one, Nagisa looked up incredulously, stuttering random and incoherent babbles.

"Nagisa…" A voice she had grown all too familiar with, spoke cracked but lovingly. "I'm home."

Like a spring-well field, her tears spewed out effortlessly, but Nagisa didn't even notice until she felt a singe on her cheek. In a flash she buried herself into the chest of the woman who stood before her, bawling her eyes out. "Shizuma! Shizuma… Shizuma." she couldn't stop repeating the girl's name.

The silver haired woman was glad to embrace her little cherry-head, she didn't even think of the consequences Mrs. Aoi might dish out on her. She was only glad to have her Nagisa in her arms again. She couldn't help crying, smothering her tears into Nagisa's bright red locks. "Nagisa…" she said in the one breath she could catch.

They pulled onto each other tightly, neither one wanting to let go. They sank to their knees in perfect sync, sharing a brief but extremely passionate kiss. Pulling out of the kiss, they touched their foreheads together. They looked tenderly into each other's eyes, auburn orbs locking with those of olive.

Offering a hand and helping Momomi out of her seat, Kaname interrupted the moment between the lovers. "Our work here is done, we'll be on our way then." The two seemed to be the only ones not affected by the touching scene of reunion, but nobody dared question them.

As the couple prepared to walk away, Nagisa grabbed onto Kaname's hand. "Wait."

"What?" Kaname hissed at the sudden contact.

Unfazed, Nagisa continued, "Thank you. Thank you so much… I'm sorry I didn't believe in you. I- I just… Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me." she looked up at Kaname with full, watery, innocent eyes.

Kaname quickly snapped her head forward, pulling her arm away from the girl. "Consider it a freebie." she said, mumbling over her words slightly and then quickly making her way outside toward her lover, who was already in the car awaiting her.

As the troublesome duo drove away, Shion mentioned. "We should probably get going too, Chikaru. We need to make our way to the airport." tapping her watch for emphasize.

"Thank you, Chikaru." Nagisa gave a calmer thanks. "You've always been like a big sister to me."

"I know Nagisa." she smiled. "I know."

Just like the couple before them, the two left within moments. Now it was just the Aoi family, Shizuma included. Somehow, their home finally felt complete again.

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ I worked myself straight into about 2:15 a.m., non-stop (okay maybe a break or two or five). The point is, it's really early in the morning here and I have summer classes -.- Who knows when I'll update again, whether it be sooner or later, but meanwhile I have a new poll on my profile. Basically it's asking if I should rewrite "One Hot Summer", because I want to improve on the story (though the plot will basically be the__same). So stop by and give your opinion. I also noticed how ff has changed while I was gone (naughty, naughty). Anyway, until next we meet, Ghutatan! _


	16. Soften Up

**Author's Note: **_I ended up working on two extras; Just little not-so-short shorts following our favorite Strawberry Panic couples :). However, the other one has me a little stuck and I wanted to upload something for the wait, so here it is. This first short follows Kaname and Momomi. Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Extra:  
**_**Soften Up**_

As Momomi made her way out to the car, something sparked in her mind causing her to turn around. She had meant to simply talk to Kaname but instead, she ended up catching a view of something she thought could never happen in this lifetime. Just as quickly as it happened, it ended, leaving Momomi with a grin from ear to ear.

She twirled around, giddy, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She hurried to the sleek, black convertible she parked in an empty lot nearby. There, the brown-haired girl released a torrent of laughter behind the wheel.

"What has you so giddy?" Kaname muttered as she approached the car.

"Oh, nothing." She mused with a hum between giggles.

"Nothing?" Kaname repeated as she leaned over the window with narrowed eyes. "You sound like strawberry-head with all that girly giggling."

"Do I?" Momomi looked over at Kaname slyly, speaking in an exaggerated, innocent tone.

"Yes, and quite frankly, it's making my stomach turn." Kaname stretched out her hand toward the girl. "Hand me the keys, you're not driving in that kind of mood."

Momomi frowned slightly but, as if by some new revelation, quickly donned a smirk that went unnoticed by her partner. She complied with the dark-haired girl and glided over into the passenger's seat, watching her lover hop into the car and rev the engine.

The succubus always enjoyed watching her lover behind the wheel, taking special note of every movement, but now she watched the girl with a much different image in her mind. The picture, still fresh in her mind, made her smile every time she scanned over Kaname's face. Even as said girl reversed onto the road and began to leisurely drive down the street, she could feel Momomi staring a hole through her.

"What is it?" Kaname hissed, trying to keep her face forward while attempting to ignore her partner's gaze. Kaname herself was slightly far-flung, her eyes jumping from place to place unable to focus.

Momomi remained silent, responding only with a smile that slowly deviated to something sly.

"I don't know what has you like this, but you better snap out of it soon." Kaname growled. "It's annoying, I feel like you're screwing with me."

Momomi slowly leaned toward the agitated girl, her movements restricted slightly by the seatbelt her partner always refuses to wear. Playfully poking the mastermind's cheek, she teased "Do you really want to know?"

Disregarding Momomi's strange actions, Kaname calmed herself before accidently speaking in a tone she would regret later. Coolly, she answered. "Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't waste my breath asking."

Momomi pulled herself in closer toward Kaname's ear, smirking as she whispered. "I saw you."

Kaname tensed up slightly, and it wasn't because of the feeling of Momomi's breath on her ear - well, not completely.

Deciding to begin her game with Kaname, she continued, "Just now, while you were with Nagisa. I don't know what she said… but you blushed."

Nearly swerving off the road, Kaname slammed brakes to avoid what could have been fatal. However, the force from the sudden stop caused her to bump her head on the horn, disturbing the neighborhood and angering the passer-bys.

Momomi burst into fits of laughter, holding her stomach and wiping an invisible tear from her eye. "It hurts! It's so funny it hurts!" She managed to yell between laughs.

"It's not that funny." Kaname growled, her head still resting against the wheel, to embarrassed to lift it.

"This is exactly why you should start wearing your seatbelt." Momomi teased, still trying to calm herself down.

Kaname's head shot up, infuriated. "Maybe if you didn't come up with such ridiculous notions while I'm driving, I wouldn't have to make such sudden stops."

"Ridiculous you say?" the brown-haired girl repeated, intrigued. "So you're denying it?"

"Full-heartedly."

"Really. My mistake then." she mused in a heavily sarcastic tone. "So… what did Nagisa say?" the brown-haired girl poked around.

"She just thanked me, an unnecessary gesture." the mastermind breathed as she pressed her foot on the gas, calmly pulling back into drive.

"Really." Momomi droned rolling her eyes. "I saw you mumbling something." she said more as a question than a statement.

Kaname's grip on the wheel strengthened slightly, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by her partner. She averted her eyes as she answered. "I simply told her…" choosing her words carefully, "…consider it a handout."

"A handout?" the brown-haired girl spoke with an exaggerated tone, a thin brow raised. "What happened to 'not being a charity' or 'if there's nothing to gain, what's the point'?"

"It was a one-time thing; a once-in-a-lifetime exception to the rule." she defended.

"Since when do you make exceptions!" Momomi joked of it. "When does the great Kaname Kenjou, ever make an exception to her own, _personal_ rule; her mantra? And for the sake of another?"

The girl listened to her lover's ranting, grinding her teeth, but focusing on the road ahead. She kept silent, mostly to avoid dragging this any longer than it was going to be. Momomi had a dark sense of teasing, she knew - it was part of the reason she and the girl became a pair - but when that teasing is directed at her- and it's not erotic - it's a pain.

Realizing that the dark-haired girl had no intention of speaking, Momomi pushed a little further. "Kaname you've changed." she spoke matter-of-factly. "Your brother was right, you are getting soft."

Kaname growled at the accusation; putting pedal to the metal, she sped into a nearby lot by the traffic light. If she drove any longer in her condition, there would be fatality, accidental or otherwise. Pointing a finger warningly in the other girl's face, she threatened "Don't you ever repeat those blasphemous words again."

"Face facts Kaname." Momomi leaned in lovingly, gently cradling her lover's finger within her own. "Do you remember the girl I met in middle school; Are you trying to say you're still that same girl?"

* * *

Young Kiyashiki Momomi was finally taking a step higher, ascending into middle school. She would become a high school first-year, as their school referred to it; and her next milestone would be the fourth year, becoming an official senior at the school. Momomi was quite popular throughout her six years in elementary, and she could only hope to continue on as such.

Despite joining the school from the earliest age possible, Momomi had never had a proper roommate. Her first few days were spent in a crowded, three person room, and she was later floated to an empty spare room, where she dwelled for the next six years.

Just a few days before the reopening ceremony, the dorm advisor had told her she would be switching rooms and sharing with another student, Kenjou Kaname. Momomi was slightly familiar with the girl, though the two had never actually spoken. They were in several classes together, and as she dwelled on the thought further, even in the same homeroom. But why have they never spoken before?

Kenjou Kaname wasn't exactly socially awkward, in fact she was a born leader, however if she didn't have to, she never spoke to anyone. She simply observed in class and was nowhere to be found every break. She was a genius that barely attended homeroom, though the teacher never dared to mark her absent. Nobody ever dared to cross Kaname. Nobody walked in her path, nobody sat next to her, nobody - in any way - dared to be a hindrance to her. Any girl - be they brave, bold, or stupid - that got in Kaname's way would be 'removed' after a string of bad luck, usually lasting an entire month. Similarly, every roommate the girl has ever had, had either transferred, dropped out, or become hospitalized by the end of the year. She was dangerous, no doubt.

Momomi had always thought of herself as mischievous, but if the rumors were true, she was no match for Kaname. She sat with a few classmates and asked about Kenjou-san. She received more survival tips than friendly advice. She had heard guidelines like 'don't make eye contact', or 'never turn your back to her', and was even told 'she can smell fear'. At this point, the brown haired girl laughed. It was obvious she couldn't follow the advice she was given.

There was only one girl who could give her the type of information she needed, Shion Tomori. Apparently the blonde was the only person at the school Kaname spoke to voluntarily. She was an approachable but head-strong girl, very famous around the school and was the only person in Spica who could approach Kaname. That was Momomi's target.

After the reopening ceremony, Momomi began her mission. It was more than easy to find someone with such a large presence; the brown haired girl immediately located her target just outside the building.

"You want to know the truth about Kenjou-san?" Shion repeated the girl's question, a little taken back by her straight-forwardness. "I'm not sure how you expect me to answer that. The truth is I don't know much about her either."

"But Tomori-san, it's a known fact that you are the only one that she openly speaks with."

"Be that as it may, I can't help you. She's a mystery, even to me. When we talk, the topic seems to be completely random, and she usually asks about other students. Sometimes I feel like there's always some hidden dark agenda being formulated in her head." Shion spoke slowly, as if trying to piece the puzzle together herself. "Anyway, I really have to go. Good luck with Kenjou, you're going to need it."

Momomi slumped as she walked through the hallway with a few of her belongings. She exhausted every avenue of information she could find, and still yielded no results. She made her way toward her new dorm room to meet her new roommate. As she approached the door, she sighed. "Please let me survive this." she prayed.

She knocked on the door, but received no answer. She tried again, still no answer. Slowly Momomi turned the knob and allowed her head to peek through the crevice. "Umm, Kenjou-san?"

Kaname spoke with a single order. "Come in."

Momomi slipped inside allowing the door to close behind her, but never moving from her spot.

Kaname sat at a desk right up to the wall, her back turned to her guest. She was working on something, though Momomi couldn't see exactly what it was.

Realizing she had been silent since she walked in, Momomi decided to introduce herself. "I'm Kiyash-"

"Kiyashiki Momomi, I know." Kaname interrupted. "You're the new plaything they sent me." she continued working as she spoke.

"Umm, I'm your new roommate." she corrected.

"Same thing. They both entertain until they inevitably break, then they become useless." the dark genius rose from her seat, turning to face her guest for the first time. She sighed. "Try to last at least a little bit longer than the others, I get bored so easily."

When their eyes locked, Momomi was struck with some kind of strange feeling. It wasn't fear, but more of an uneasiness, right in the pit of her stomach. Despite being in so many classes together and even being in the same homeroom, this was the first time the two had ever made eye contact.

Momomi's next few days with the mysterious girl went on quietly. Kaname was gone most of the day even though classes hadn't started yet, and worked through most of the night at her desk. She was usually writing things down in a large book she kept locked away in a drawer. It always made Momomi curious.

Shortly after classes started for the new school year however, strange things began happening to Momomi. They bordered more along the lines of childish pranks; textbooks going missing, finding strange notes in her desk, and once her school bag was even thrown into a tree. St. Spica had always been an extremely competitive school, but Momomi had only one suspect in her mind. Still she kept quiet about it.

The last straw happened during one of the breaks. Momomi had just come from P.E and was heading toward the front door of the school when out of the blue, a bucket of sudsy water was dunked all over her. It apparently came from the third floor, though no one was supposed to be up there at this time. That was it; Kiyashiki Momomi was tolerant, but she was by no means a coward, nor a pushover. She and Kaname had never spoken in their room and there was always tension between the two, but today Momomi was going to break that.

She stormed down the hallway, thankfully able to get a change in uniform. She pushed the door open and, as usual, Kaname was sitting at her desk. "Have you forgotten how to knock?" the girl spoke coolly.

"Don't play dumb. I took all I could take, but now you've gone too far." Momomi accused. "I'm not stupid, I know what you've been doing to me."

"Well then fill me in because I have no idea what you're talking about." Kaname shrugged with a smirk.

"Don't deny it. My books, my bag, and even what happened a few minutes ago." Momomi counted off from her fingers. "I know they were all your doing."

"I'm aware of your string of bad luck, but I am not the cause. Those petty pranks aren't my style." the genius defended indifferently. "But if you want, I can capture this prankster. For a small fee, of course."

"Aghh!" Momomi growled. "As if I can believe you." the brown-haired girl fumed off, slamming the door behind her.

"Hmm, that's a shame." Kaname spoke to no one in particular, sipping from a cup of tea with a grin. "Kiyashiki Momomi, you've got guts. You may actually be of use to me."

The room Momomi used to inhabit was now empty, so she stayed there for the night. She had trouble getting to sleep, still angry with her _former_ roommate Kaname. She thought hard about a way to get her revenge. Eventually, she remembered Kaname's book; The girl religiously wrote in it every night before going to bed and was always careful to lock it away. "A diary, maybe?" Momomi thought to herself out loud. Momomi turned on her back to stare at the ceiling.

Although she wasn't sure what the book was exactly, she knew it was a very important possession to Kaname. _I can imagine how she would react if it ever went missing. _Momomi laughed to herself. _You're going down, Kenjou._

The next day, Kaname left her room early as usual. Momomi used this time to begin her new mission. She immediately went to the drawer, examining the large lock between her fingers. Without a second thought, she pulled a hairpin from her hair, picking the lock with ease. With the lock popped, she quickly opened the drawer. Kaname could be back at any time, so she had to work as quickly as possible.

She pulled out the black book. Curiosity got the best of her as she noticed the blank cover. Flipping through the pages, it was far from what she expected. It was a handwritten database of sorts, containing a detailed history of every student not just in Spica, but on the entire Astraea Hill, former graduates and all. It was perfectly catalogued and contained a picture of each subject. It was such an incredible sight, Momomi hadn't even noticed the footsteps approaching her from behind.

"Isn't there a rule against searching through your roommate's belongings?" Momomi nearly leapt out of her skin when she heard Kaname's voice by her ear. She stumbled slightly. Kaname only eyed the girl in her usual cold glare. "The hell do you think you're doing with that?" She growled in a low tone.

"What the hell is all this?" Momomi answered with a question.

Kaname grabbed her book from the girl. "Information is the greatest thing a human can receive." she cryptically explained. "Through information we create and gain from our inventions. Sharing, understanding and manipulating data for personal gain is what separates we humans, from the animals." Pointing towards the door, she continued "It's also the reason I was able to catch your culprit."

Kaname walked to the door and dragged in a girl who had been bound and gagged tightly with cloth, crying her eyes out. After pulling her completely in, Kaname closed the door before untying the cloth around the girl's mouth. Momomi watched as the girl sat there crying bitterly.

"It was a case of jealousy. She envied your popularity among the student body, especially since she has no talent of her own and has an average looking face. She picked you because you seemed like an easy target." Kaname clarified. "She was on punishment yesterday and had to scrub the third floor. After she finished she happened to look out the window and see you and so she decided to throw out her water; all over you. She also admitted to being behind all of your other mishaps."

"I'm so sorry." The girl sobbed. "I swear, I won't bother you ever again. So please, have mercy." she begged.

"I've already delivered a small dose of punishment, but of course this problem was personal to you. Whatever happens to her now is completely up to you."

Momomi stood in awe. The same unease she experienced the very first day she met Kaname invaded her stomach again, but this time it also migrated to her chest. "Let her go Kaname, I think she's suffered enough. I'll forgive her as long as it doesn't happen again."

Kaname smirked, she knew this would be the outcome. She untied the girl, whom scampered away as quickly as possible. She looked over the brown-haired girl that stood before her guiltily rubbing her arm.

"Look Kenjou-san, I'm really sorry for accusing you. But after what you said on my very first day here, I ended up assuming-"

"To be expected." Kaname nodded understandingly. "However, I don't work for free."

Momomi looked at the girl surprised. "But I didn't ask you to-"

"Shh." Kaname shushed the girl in one swift movement, placing her finger over the other girl's mouth. "Hear me out before you make any hasty assumptions." Sliding her finger off of the girl's mouth, the second she locked eyes with Momomi the girl understood.

"Good. I see potential in you. You're bold and I can use that; and as you've proven, you're not a coward. I knew you would come back here for the book and I knew you'd look through it. I know because I've been observing you. Now, you know what I'm capable of, and you're capable of it too." Kaname rounded the girl, stopping just behind her. Placing one hand on her shoulder, Kaname leaned in to the stunned girl's ears. "I can introduce you to a world you know nothing of. I can help you become the person you were meant to be. I have a special interest in you like no other, Momomi." Kaname placed her free hand on the girl's neck gently.

Momomi stood there and allowed Kaname's hand to caress her neck. Her body burned with a heat she had never felt before and the unease she felt earlier became unbearable. "What about Tomori-san?" she breathed remembering the blonde, wondering about their relationship.

"Forehead?" Kaname chuckled. "She's going to be our time's student council president, of that I'm sure. I'm making a connection that'll have future benefits, you see. You'll learn how to do that, too." She turned Momomi's head to face her, staring into her eyes. "Quit pretending; stop limiting yourself. You have great potential, all you have to do is let me mold you. Become my partner, Kiyashiki Momomi." Kaname ended her offer with a kiss, placed gently on the girl's neck. "Do you accept?"

Momomi's legs went weak when she felt the genius' lips on her skin. She didn't have to think about her answer. "Ye- yes Kaname." her lips quivered with anticipation.

Kaname noticed the girl's want and was by no means going to deny it. With that lingering thought, she captured the girl's lips, allowing their tongues to wrestle as her hands busied themselves with the removal of Momomi's clothes.

* * *

"Are you trying to say I'm any different now?" Kaname muttered.

"You've gotten softer, but it's not the end of the world Kaname." Momomi cooed. "Besides, I like that you've changed."

"What could be good about it?" Kaname sighed.

Momomi shifted herself, moving onto Kaname's lap, straddling her. "Well for one thing…" Momomi began, playing with the hair hanging over Kaname's face. "You pay more attention to me now, and you've gotten better." She winked. "I loved it before, but now I'm addicted. In fact…" the succubus began trailing kisses from her lover's ear down her neck. Stopping just above the girl's collar, she whispered,

"Why don't you give me another dose?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** _…This wasn't short at all; I got too into the back story. XP_


	17. Decode it Detective!

**Author's Note: **_It's been too long guys, it really has. I'd rather not write any long explanations right now but instead, I want to let you get straight into the story.__This short follows couple, Chikaru and Shion, on their ride to the airport and a brief little comedy dialogue between the two, that takes a turn for the worst._

* * *

**Extra:  
**_**Decode it Detective!**_

Shortly after visiting the Aoi household and witnessing the touching reunion between Nagisa and Shizuma, Chikaru and Shion were forced to leave, otherwise they'd be late for their flight. They had a few pick ups to make along the way, so they really needed as much time as they can get. Shion, being an organizational genius, had no problems setting up a perfect schedule that even allowed a few extra minutes for Chikaru's inevitable detours. Of course, she didn't tell her girlfriend about this extra time, mostly to avoid the gross misuse of it.

"Hmm, I wonder if Hex-san is still at his hideout. I wouldn't mind stopping by to play a little bit." Chikaru giggled.

"We don't have time for that." Shion sighed. "First we have to pick up Yaya and then Amane; then we have to meet Shino and Miyuki halfway to the airport at the place where they're staying, and then we'll all drive to the airport together." the blonde counted off everything from her fingers.

"Yaya and Amane I can understand, but with Miyuki and Shino as well? Where are they all going to sit? This car just doesn't have the room." Chikaru placed a finger on her chin. "Everyone might need to lap up. Shino's so shy but I don't think he and Miyuki will be a problem, but Yaya and Amane… No matter how you imagine it, it seems wrong."

Seriously contemplating the thought, Shion cupped her chin thoughtfully. "That's true, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it." She hummed to herself meditatively. "Wait…" as if her mind finally processed something. Trying to avoid yelling, Shion gritted her teeth, allowing her words to be forced through hushed but growling. "You already know they rented a chauffer."

"Ah, now that you say it, I do remember you mentioning that." Chikaru mused. "I'm surprised you actually got swept into that one." the raven-haired girl giggled.

The blonde leaned back in her seat, rubbing her temples to combat an oncoming migraine; a gesture she grew all too familiar with. "My capacity for dealing with these things is wearing thin. That maddening gift of yours to sweep any and everybody into your pace will cost me my sanity."

"But I've heard insanity can be very exciting!" Chikaru reasoned as their car pulled up to a red light. "Besides, trying so hard to keep everything together is so boring. You're stressing yourself out by being too calculating. Sometimes you just have to make room and let the unexpected happen!"

Shion sighed. "You make it sound so simple, but it feels like astrophysics to me. I'm not even sure if I'm capable of that kind of thinking.", releasing yet another sigh, this time in self-disappointment.

"But you did it just now, and you didn't even realize it at first. Don't think about it and just let your mind drift." adding emphasis with her hands.

"Easier said than done." Shion mumbled.

"Oh come on…" Chikaru pouted childishly.

"Oh by the way," the blonde stretched, looking up at the car roof, "I've been meaning to ask this but it slipped my mind 'til now."

"I wonder what it could be." Chikaru giggled, changing gears as the traffic light shone green.

"That message you got from Kaname a while back, the coded one. It's been bothering me for awhile, I still don't get it."

"Wow, have you been thinking about it all this time?" Chikaru gasped with marvel. "And you haven't gotten it yet? You're usually so good with puzzles, and this one was so simple."

"Do- Don't rub it in!" Shion stuttered. "I'm just off my game… is all." she muterred.

Taking in yet another exaggerated gasp of air, the raven haired trickster continued to tease her girlfriend. "Could it be that the answer is so simple that your overly-complex mind ignored such an obvious solution?"

Becoming irritated Shion flared, "Like I said, it's not tha-"

"Quickly!"

"Huh-"

"What is one plus one?"

Shion sank in her chair, eyebrow twitching ever so slightly as she felt her temperature rising dangerously. Restraining herself from yelling, she forced her voice, lined with a slight growl. "You… What exactly are you implying about me?"

Feigning innocence, the raven-haired girl spoke with an overly sweet tone. "Whatever do you mean? I had the best intentions in the world."

The two sat silently, Shion rubbing her temples and Chikaru watching the road. Suddenly, Chikaru broke the silence with an uncharacteristic seriousness donning her face. "Hey…" she called for her lover's attention.

"What?" Shion spoke quietly, just recovering from sky-high temperatures.

"Does this mean…"

Looking over at the dark-haired driver, Shion immediately caught the solemn expression on her lover's face. She swallowed before responding. "Does this mean what?" she asked curiously.

"Does this mean… you won't answer the question?"

In an instant Shion felt her blood reach the boiling point and she couldn't stop herself from yelling, "It's two!"

"Omedetou!" Chikaru clapped, removing her hands from the wheel for a few moments only to catch the wheel as the car began to swerve slightly. "Now about that text."

"No forget it, I regret mentioning it now." the blonde grumbled.

"Aww, don't say that! We'll take it on together." Chikaru winked, handing her significant other her cell-phone. It was already displaying the message in question.

"_The most important piece in our game seems to  
__be misplaced thanks to some outside interference.  
I can't be bothered with such a pick-up, but a certain  
strawberry requested some help on the matter. So will  
the crow, along with its golden retriever, swipe up  
that silver-spoon; or will our playtime end with  
this little foul?"_

"Well, I already established that the silver-spoon was Shizuma, and you already identified yourself as the crow when you narrated that introduction upon our meeting with Kaname's older brother. 'A strawberry' is obviously Nagisa, given Kaname's nickname for her. And the rest of the message seems pretty straight-forward. There's just this one part…"

"Hmm," Chikaru whistled. "You've figured out most of it, what could possibly be giving you trouble?"

"Golden retriever…" she drawled hesitantly. Shion looked at the message almost cross-eyed with a slightly childish frustration.

Chikaru couldn't stifle her laughter. In fact, she broke out in fits of it.

"What's so funny about it?" Shion spat in defense.

"It's you." Chikaru managed between laughter.

"What about me?"

Chikaru pulled the car to the side and parked, aware that she couldn't drive in her condition. She placed a finger on the phone screen, winking at her girlfriend as she pointed out, "You're the golden retriever."

"Me!? Compared to a dog! The nerve of that Kaname." The former Spica president growled.

"You can't look at it like that." Chikaru hiccupped, still trying to recover from her torrent of laughter. Wiping an invisible tear from her eye she explained, "Golden retrievers aren't just any breed of dog. They are super intelligent and are capable of effectively playing a variety of roles. And their confidence is nearly unmatched in the canine family."

Feeling the sudden inflation to her ego, Shion tried to feign modesty though utterly failing. "Well, I guess it can't be helped that such impeccable traits come to mind when thinking of me." she gave a slight chuckle under her breath, unable to hide the smirk that she wore.

"Not only that…" Chikaru removed her seatbelt, thankful that the vacant lot she pulled in seemed unused and abandoned. In a swift and gentle movement, she placed herself on her lover's lap, nestling her face into the sea of blonde tresses. Her voice muffled by the golden locks, she continued, "They are famed for their loyalty, trust-worthiness, and gentleness. Their standard is described as kindly, friendly, and confident. And…" Chikaru paused for a moment, pulling Shion's face towards her own and staring deeply into her eyes.

Shion felt herself go breathless. She was left stunned by the gaze of those golden orbs that seemed to steal the breath right out of her. She got lost trying to explore those deep, mysterious eyes. It was something that almost scared her, rocking her down to her very core, and sent shivers down her spine. She swallowed dryly. "And?" she urged.

Chikaru smirked slyly. "And those are all the traits that made me fall in love with you." she whispered seductively. Within seconds she locked onto the lips just shivering below her, merging their two forms into one.

"_We really don't have the time for this."_ Shion thought, her plan coming to mind as she continued to lock lips with the raven-haired beauty above her. But all ability to think clearly left her when she felt the firm, commanding tongue snake its way into her mouth and began to dominate. _"Well… whatever…"_ was the last thought that entered her head as she lost herself to the pleasure.

* * *

"_You two took so long, the rest of us decided to head out without you." Miyuki explained over the phone._

"Is that so?" Shion laughed nervously, mentally kicking herself for allowing herself to be swept up in the moment again.

"_Well, you two better get here quickly, they'll be calling for passengers any second now." _

"Of course, we'll be there in no time. I'll be sure of it."

_Miyuki sighed on the other end. "It's not you I'm worried about you."_

The phone clicked and that was that. Shion turned on her heels to face her lover angrily while said girl only looked up at the sky humming, feigning ignorance and innocence.

The two stood outside the hotel Yaya and Tsubomi were staying in. They were supposed to meet Yaya and Amane out front who decided they would leave together rather than call two separate taxis. It was difficult for both older girls seeing as they would have to leave their little kouhai who were still in school. Double so for Yaya who was especially close with both girls, Hikari, her best friend, and Tsubomi, her girlfriend (though if you asked her she wouldn't admit it).

After the two finished their moment of intimacy and Shion finally came to her senses she realized they were more than just a little late to meet the girls at said location. She even took the keys and drove like mad, hoping the girls would still be there. Much to her distraught, the meeting spot was empty and a guard on duty said he saw the two leave almost half an hour earlier.

Now, after contacting the others and explaining the situation, obviously leaving out some information, she was left to deal with one more thing. Chikaru's childish irresponsibility; the thing that got them in this mess to begin with.

"If we were the ones that had to pick them up, things would be far more problematic than they are now! Do you realize that?" Shion scolded fiercely.

"But we weren't." Chikaru pointed out.

"That's not the point Chikaru. You have to take on some responsibility some time."

"I do!" Chikaru defended, genuinely hurt by the accusation.

"Do you?" she challenged raising a blonde brow. "It's always been this way, since school. You're brilliant but you waste your time with these silly childish games and I'm starting to get sick of it!"

Shion immediately felt a pang of regret, her stomach turning to knots as what she said really sank into her conscience. But, her pride wouldn't let her scowl falter and her anger wouldn't let her stop her tirade.

"Is that all?" Chikaru asked, not making eye-contact with the other girl.

"Yea." Shion started to calm herself down.

Before anyone could do anything about it, Chikaru jumped in her car and left the her former passenger dumbstruck. Shion immediately started calling Chikaru's phone, futilely running down the street towards the car she couldn't hope in a million years to catch up to.

Each time the phone rang, the call was immediately dropped until finally, it just stopped ringing. Despite getting the same recorded message each time she tried, Shion kept calling and calling for about twenty minutes until she finally got an answer. By this time, the blonde had returned to the hotel they were supposed to meet Yaya and Amane at. The security allowed her to sit in the lobby for the time being.

"Chikaru! Oh thank God you answered, where are you!?" Shion tried to keep calm.

"…_I went to the most comfortable place I could think of."_ _Chikaru spoke nearly emotionlessly. _

Shion shivered slightly at the sound of Chikaru's voice. It was the first time she spoke so lifelessly, there was no hint of her usual melody at all. It was frightening, disheartening even. And Shion couldn't help but feel responsible. "Where's that? I'll take a taxi there as soon as possi-"

"_That's all I'm going to tell you. You figure it out."_

"Enough of these silly games I'm genuinely worried about-"

"_If you still think it's a silly game then don't bother looking."_

"Chi-" She was cut off by the sound of the click. _"The most comfortable place she could think of?"_ Shion probed her mind.

She called Kaname, who didn't bother picking up. She called Hex, who said he hadn't seen her since the two left. She didn't bother calling Shizuma, it was obvious Chikaru wasn't there. She picked her mind for hours, calling different places and checking nearby parks and game parlors. And finally, she mentally slapped herself for not realizing it sooner.

The most comfortable place Chikaru could think of, it's so obvious Shion was shocked it wasn't her first choice. Maybe Chikaru was right about what she said earlier… But now wasn't the time for that, she had to go see her raven-haired love right away.

Immediately the blonde hopped up and hailed a taxi, to whom she gave an all-too-familiar set of directions to. She arrived in less than half an hour since departing to have her suspicions confirmed. Indeed, the small, black, antiquated Benz sat misplaced among the forest trail.

Shion got out of the taxi and trotted toward the car only to find the driver missing. After exploring further down the path she had walked so many times before, she finally saw a beautiful figure laying against a large, iron gate. She approached and plopped herself right next to the resting figure, wrapped up in a blanket.

"I found you." Shion whispered, holding onto the woman next to her as if she would slip away any second.

Chikaru smiled. "Omedetou.", speaking just as hushed as her lover though still not looking at her.

"I'm sorry I got so mad at you and ended up making you mad at me." Shion smiled.

Chikaru laughed at the girl's amusing way of putting things. "I'm not mad at you."

"You were."

"I wasn't. I was just a little… shocked. That's all." For the first time in a long while, Chikaru finally looked up a Shion finally making eye-contact. "I'm sorry I made you so mad, I took it too far this time. I swear it won't happen again." She took the blonde girl's hand and locked her fingers between hers.

Shion chuckled slightly. "I know it'll happen again, in fact I hope it does."

Chikaru was slightly confused though could only give a gentle smile and a relieved sigh while nestling herself into the girl's nape. "Why do you hope that?" she spoke into the soft, white skin she rested against.

"Because… I think that moments like these are worth it."

Both shared a brief kiss before breaking it and resting their foreheads together.

"I think we'll have to buy new plane tickets though."

"That's alright." The raven-haired girl breathed. "I rescheduled our flight the other day. Our plane doesn't leave for another few days." she spoke as she replaced her head back on the other girl's shoulder.

Though shocked for a quick second, the blonde quickly regained composure and couldn't help but laugh at herself silently. "Yea, I should've seen that coming. Someone like you doesn't know the meaning of irresponsible."

* * *

**Author's Note: **_This ended up being longer than expected. I worked straight through Christmas Eve, plan on doing the same thing tomorrow, and for the whole week until New Year's, which I'm hoping will be the final release and ending of this story. I've dragged my feet for too long and I have to take advantage of this break, seeing that if I don't, you guys would have to wait until June to get another update. I can't have that! So if all goes well, you'll be seeing another update tomorrow. If not, I'll say Merry Christmas now!_


	18. Falling in Place

**Author's Note: **_Ah yes, another update. It's been awhile since I've been able to do these. With everything that's going on, I'm taking my final real break before June and using it as an opportunity to finish this story. Of course, I also don't want to rush the story, but it was already alost finished where I last left off, thankfully. Anyway, don't forget to tell me what you think, or reprimand me for my long hiatus. Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 14:  
**_**Falling in Place**_

After a long discussion that ended in a surprisingly passionate semi-public quickie, Kaname and Momomi finally remembered some unfinished business they were supposed to attend to. By now they were running late. Kaname wasn't worried though, it wasn't important to her.

They arrived to their predetermined meeting spot… forty minutes behind schedule. Still, Kaname was pissed to find that her client wasn't there. She growled under her breath, "That girl…"

…

The Aoi household was silent, careful not to break the fragile moment. They were all peacefully together after their tragic separation. Yes, they were all at peace.

Or at least… that's what one would hope.

Yes, the household was immersed in silence, but it was far from peaceful. The air grew tense immediately after their guests had left.

Mrs. Aoi gave a heavy sigh before deciding to cut through the dense atmosphere. "Shizuma, I know this is sudden, but we have to talk."

"Mom, we talked about this!" Nagisa let out in an accidental outburst. Immediately calming herself, she reasoned, "Shizuma's been through a lot, could you just let her rest please?"

Yuujirou interjected, "Honey, look-"

"Yuuji, please." the elder cherry head stopped him. She returned her glance to Shizuma, who was now staring at her intently, still wrapped in the arms of her darling lover. "I want to have a heart-to-heart with Shizuma. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Even Yuujirou was incapable of challenging his wife when she got like this. Admitting his defeat, he shook his head, though he was concerned at what was to come. He knew his wife could get quite vicious when she was ready.

"I'm fine with it." Shizuma offered, sliding herself up with the usual grace, though it took more effort than usual. "Truth be told, I wanted to talk with you since the day I came here." She narrowed her eyes with the usual confidence. This was Shizuma Hanazono, confident and fearless.

Yumiko grinned to herself. _"So this is the confidence Nagisa preached about. So you're showing your claws now, eh Shizuma."_

"Well, I'll be blunt." The angelic cherry-head let her smile falter slightly showing a serious expression. "I don't trust you Shizuma."

"That makes two of us."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Aoi was taken slightly aback by the sudden straightforwardness. "Well, I don't truthfully want you to trust me."

"No." Shizuma laughed slightly, "I meant I don't always trust myself. Sometimes it's hard to realize how incapable I really am."

"And you expect me to trust you with my daughter?" The former MMA champ spoke with genuine concern. By this time even Mr. Aoi watched Shizuma with anxious curiosity, wondering what kind of stunt she would pull to get herself out of this. "Am I supposed to believe your feelings are real?"

"No ma'am!" Shizuma admitted with gusto, staggering slightly and placing a hand over the bandages around her neck. "Whoops, got a little too excited there." Shizuma laughed, vaguely wincing.

Nagisa internally screamed when she heard the response her silver-haired lover gave. She could see her mother ripping her out of Shizuma's arms and carting her away with them, never to return to Japan again. "Shizuma!" She scolded, "Now isn't the time to be clowning around. She'll seriously separate us."

"I'm not playing." Shizuma pouted. "I'm being totally honest. This _is_ a heart-to-heart."

"Honest…" Yumiko scoffed. "Well, I guess I can respect that."

Their discussion was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Yumiko moved to answer it.

* * *

Swinging her feet, a familiar blunette sat on a bench anxiously. Observing the artistic spectacle of the statue that stood imposingly at the very center of the park, she sipped on a can of soda impatiently.

"She's late." The girl sighed looking over at a clock near the park entrance. "But I'm scared to move." she ashamedly admitted to herself.

After a few more boring minutes of uneventful waiting, something caught the blunette's eyes, or rather, someone. A beauty with snow white hair and eyes as blue and cold as ice seemed to be approaching her. The woman subconsciously commanded attention, garnering the eyes of everyone in her range.

"Excuse me." The woman spoke softly. "I haven't been in this area for awhile and I'm a bit lost. You don't seem to be busy, but if I'm bothering you-"

"Oh no, not at all!" the blunette flailed. _"So polite." _she thought to herself. "If there's any way I can help, Suzumi Tamao is always willing to do so.", realizing how awkward she must have sounded only after she spoke.

Though a little surprised, a small chuckle broke the woman's stern features. "Thank you."

Before realizing the weight of what she had done, Tamao already found herself accompanying the white haired woman in a slick, midnight blue Lexus LF-C. What she had done only weighed upon her conscience as the two pulled away from the park. The park she was supposed to be meeting Kaname in.

"Are you alright? You look like you're sweating."

"Eh!" Tamao snapped out of her reverie. Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead she gave an uneasy chuckle, "Ah no, it's nothing. You said it's been awhile since you last visited this area?"

"Yes, I visited a friend of mine that lives in the area very often. Though I haven't done so in ages."

"Are you here to visit that friend?" Tamao probed with innocent curiosity.

"Well technically, no." the woman laughed, amused. "I actually have a daughter that moved out here recently. But I thought it would be a good excuse to see my old friend. That, and I have a few things I'm finally willing to clear up."

"Sounds like a busy schedule."

"By the way, why were you sitting around in the park like that?"

"I was waiting on someone… but it seems they were a no show." Tamao spoke more wishfully than anything. _"If Kaname shows up and I'm not there, she's going to kill me!" _she internally panicked.

"I'm sorry, was it a date?"

Giving a straight-man's wave, Tamao immediately fanned off the assumption. "Nothing of the sort."

The two sat quietly for awhile as the car eased its way through the traffic ahead of it. Suddenly, something caught Tamao's mind.

"Now that I think about it, I thought you said you would need help with the directions?" the blunette pointed out as they continued to cruise through the cars ahead of them.

Soon the white-haired woman realized that she had been navigating herself the whole time. "I guess my body still knows where to go and is acting on auto-pilot. I traveled this way so many times in the past, I guess even though my mind forgot, my body has it programmed. I'm sorry that I wasted your time though."

"Oh no, it's alright. It seems we're very close to a close friend of mine's home, so I'll just walk there." she spoke with her favorite cherry-head on mind.

"That's a relief." the older woman breathed, pulling into the driveway of a familiar looking, middle-class sized house.

"Eh, how did you know this was it?" Tamao questioned.

"What do you mean, this is my friend's home." the white-haired woman responded quizzically, ringing the doorbell.

* * *

"Where are we going Kaname?" Momomi whined.

Kaname sped through traffic, donning her usual cool expression. They left the park almost immediately after realizing their client wasn't there. "I had a tracker placed in her phone for such an occasion. By the looks of things, it seems she's headed to strawberry-head's home."

"You're going out of your way for her?" Momomi snickered. "How uncharacteristic!"

"You misunderstand my intentions Momomi." the genius explained. "I am simply about to teach her the importance of staying put and being patient. After all, they say it's a virtue."

"Is that all?" the brown-haired girl scoffed. "Well whatever, I expected you'd try to redeem yourself after being called soft."

Kaname smirked. "Yes, let's go with that excuse. Truth be told, I've been hoping to raise some mayhem. Today has been too sappy for my liking. Not to mention, Chikaru doesn't seem to be the slight bit interested in our game, and Mr. Hex already stuck his thumb where it didn't belong, messing up my game setup.", she sighed. "It's like having to reset a chessboard at the climax of the game, it's disheartening to say the least."

The duo turned the corner and was met by a midnight blue car in the driveway. Confirming her co-ordinates one more time, Kaname affirmed, "That's definitely the ride that brought her here. And there's the blunette now." Kaname spotted the blue blob of hair, standing just out front of the cherry-head's front door.

Kaname pulled into the driveway, jumping out of her seat as she growled, "Suzumi, Tamao…"

"Kaname, you're here!" said girl squeaked in a panic as she saw the imposing figure grow ever so nearer.

"Kaname?" The white-haired woman repeated as she turned to face the couple coming up behind them. "As in my daughter?"

"Mother-"

"Aunt-"

The ingenious couple spoke simultaneously before turning toward each other in even more confusion. "Did you just say-"

Interrupted by the sound of the opening door, the four's attention was pulled by a single call. "Ritsuko?" The angelic, elder cherry-head gasped as she opened the door.

"Yumiko…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Yea, I know. A lot of confusion around the ending. And yes also the chapter was very short. It's sort of an important connector. As you can clearly tell, we're arriving to the climax of the story. I guarantee, we are going to find out a lot of answers in the next chapter, though when it will be out is still unclear, (hopefully before New Year's). Anyway, I know I'm a few minutes late, but I'll still consider it my Christmas update XP I'm sure it's still Christmas somewhere!_


	19. A Complicated Web

**Author's Note:** _I purposely didn't update for a few days just to leave that little bit of confusion (Yes, I know, I'm a bad person). Anyway, I really fought with this title, I had so many (crappy) ideas for the name. For a longtime this was named "Placeholder". But here's the next chapter, a few answers revealed. Here it is, Read, Review, Rejoice!_

* * *

**Chapter 15:  
**_**A Complicated Web**_

"Ritsuko?" The angelic, elder cherry-head gasped as she opened the door.

"Yumiko…"

Immediately, the door slammed creating a barricade between the two. The white-haired woman stood in what seemed to be heart-shattering awe, holding a fist close to her chest in a feeble tremble, bridling up emotion. Tamao couldn't stand to see such an expression. It reminded her of her own past before she got a roommate; before she met Nagisa.

Instinctively, the blunette raised a hand to rest on the woman's shoulder as she spoke, "I'm sure it'll be alright." Before her hand could reach its destination, her effort was thwarted by the dark-haired genius that towered above her.

Swatting Tamao's hand away like an insignificant mosquito, Kaname warned. "Don't get in the way Suzumi-san. What you're about to see will be the real fireworks." Momomi squeezed against her partner's arm, an uncharacteristic expression of uncertainty lining her delicate features.

Tamao could see a curious glint in Kaname's eye; anything that piqued the sadist's curiosity was bound to be dangerous.

Just as anticipated, the once restrained and controlled Ritsuko snapped in what seemed to be an outburst of frustration. Pounding against the helpless door, she began a tirade, constantly calling out to her former friend as she pummeled dents into the wood.

"Yumiko! Open this damned door Yumiko! I'm not putting up with this childish shit right now. Do you think I came all this way to just turn around because you don't want to listen?! A damned lie. You never answered my calls, you don't respond to my emails, you ignore all my letters, and now you slam a door in my face?! It's obviously time I take control. You hear me, Yumiko?! You better be listening!"

As the former manager continued her indignant rant while beating the pulp out of the door, the other three, whom had remained silent observers 'til now, embarked upon their own discussion.

Noticing the awkward glances now going back and forth between the couple once brimming with confidence, Tamao felt the need to speak up. "Earlier, that woman called you her daughter, Kaname-san, and you even acknowledged her as your mother. But also, Momomi said something about 'aunt'. Is it possible… that you two are-"

"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong Suzumi." Kaname immediately dismissed the younger girl. "And do not simply drop formalities, I am still Kenjou-sama to you."

Enacting her absolute law upon the girl served to silence her to a mere whimper, however, Kaname's partner also shone with determination. "I'm actually really curious too, Kaname. What if we really are-"

"Whatever information we want, I'm certain will come in due time." she answered rationally. _"In all truth, as curious as I am, I'm in no rush to find out that all this time I've been sleeping with my cousin."_ the genius thought to herself with gritted teeth.

The three were interrupted by a sudden outburst from the white-haired assaulter. "That's it Yumiko, you left me no choice!"

Meanwhile, within the boundaries of the Aoi household, although one Mrs. Aoi stood unfazed by the racket on the other side of the door, the other three inhabitants were noticeably bothered.

"Who is that rude woman?!" Shizuma questioned, frustration clearly evident in her voice.

"That's the woman who betrayed me the same way I believe you will betray my Nagisa." Mrs. Aoi spoke just barely loud enough to be heard over the enraged voice coming from the outside. Suddenly, she erupted "If you can't convince me that you won't become like that Judas, then you are not allowed to even be near Nagisa! Do you understand me, Shizuma?!" This was the first time, for both Shizuma and Nagisa, they had ever heard the quiet, controlled angel speak with such raw emotion and passion. It was actually a bit frightening for both of them as well. Shizuma found herself swallowing air she didn't remember holding in.

Suddenly there was a strange sound at the door. It was like metal scratching metal with the occasional sound of a clang. Just as sudden as it started, it stopped and within moments the door flew open; Ritsuko stood triumphantly in the doorway, her three guests behind her.

"You picked my lock?!" Yumiko growled.

"I had to." Ritsuko replied matter-of-factly, inviting herself in: her guests promptly followed suit.

"Everyone…" Nagisa shone, though a bit of confusion lining her voice.

Exploring their faces for answers about the current situation, Nagisa only received a simple gesture from her best friend; a combination smile, wink, and shrug that said "I'm just as lost as you are. Sorry."

"Listen ladies…" Mr. Aoi nervously attempted to calm the atmosphere. "I know tensions are high, but wouldn't it be better for everyone if we calmed down first. Maybe some hot tea or something.", he offered.

"No thank you, Yuujirou. I didn't mean to impose on your family like this and decided to only come here as a last resort. I was pushed to this point because of Yumiko's own stubbornness and childish selfishness."

"Hell yeah I'm stubborn, and maybe I am selfish, but at least I didn't sell out my closest friend for a few dollars, _that's _selfish." the former MMA fighter accused. "I'm actually glad you came, now I can let everyone know what you did to me."

"I didn't do anything to you." she retorted. "And 'sell out'? No amount of money in the world could move me like that."

"Yea right!" the cherry-head laughed bitterly. "How many of my matches in that tournament were even real? Did I even earn my trophy?"

"Obviously, everything was all you." Ritsuko slowly became solemn. "Don't you remember how hyper you were after every fight in that tournament? If there was one thing I remember about you, it was that you always had that damned ability to tell when someone was holding back, no matter what it was. When you first started out in MMA, you couldn't stand it when people were holding back. Do you really think you would have gotten that kind of excitement out of a fixed fight?" she reasoned consolingly. In a breath she assured, "It was all you."

Yumiko could feel the sincerity in her former friend's words, but the wound was left uncovered for too long. The grudge was held for too long. That anger built up for too long. Questions were left unanswered for too long. As far as she was concerned, it was too late. Time doesn't heal all wounds, sometimes they become painful scars. Painful, permanent scars.

"Okay, I think I'm starting to understand this." Shizuma interjected, placing herself between the two women. Each an arm's length away from her, Ritsuko on her right and Yumiko to her left, Shizuma somehow threw herself into the middle of it all.

One thing the former Etoile was famous for was her indiscriminate desire to take control, whether she realized it or not. Another thing she was good at was garnering attention and she definitely succeeded at that with this latest feat. Most of the looks she acquired of course, all expressed one idea. _"That idiot!"_ The burning thought was simultaneously shared by all observers.

"You… what the hell are you doing Shizuma?!" Mrs. Aoi growled.

"I'm refereeing of course." Shizuma winked happily. "From what I understand, Mrs. Aoi was once an MMA fighter, which explains a lot by the way." Shizuma gestured toward said woman. "And 'Ritsuko' here was her close friend and, from what I've gathered from this conversation, her manager. Am I correct?", earning a nod from the white-haired woman. "Okay, somehow some craziness went down in the middle of some big tournament and you-" gesturing toward Mrs. Aoi, "caught your manager in a compromising situation, which led you to believe she was fixing the fight, against your best interest. While you-" gesturing toward Ritsuko, "are now saying that's not the case."

"That's it in a nutshell I suppose." Ritsuko crossed her arms just below her chest. "Although there's a lot more detail to this situation."

"The details aren't important." The silver-haired casanova pointed out. "The way I see it, the solution is obvious; Mrs. Aoi, I think you should hear her out."

"Excuse me?! This has nothing to do with you, and what could you possibly understand?" Yumiko hissed.

"I understand that nothing bad will happen from just listening to what she has to say. Why not let her explain herself? Even if she really was planning to 'sell you out', don't you want to know why your best friend would do something like that?" Shizuma's expression softened to an easy smile. "Sometimes it's best to just sit back and listen. This is coming from someone who is always bickering with her best friend."

"Comparing this to petty bickering, are you an idiot?" Looking over at the Shizuma's childlike smile, Mrs. Aoi couldn't help but crack her hardened expression. "The last thing I want is advice from you Shizuma. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to hear the whole story and finally get some closure."

"Yumiko…"

The elder-cherry turned toward a loveseat and plopped herself down, crossing her legs as if conducting business. "Well you say you came to talk right? How about answering some questions; if you weren't trying to fix the fight, like you're claiming now, then why did you tell me to throw the fight back then? Why did you threaten to throw in the towel?"

"It's true I said all that, and I maybe even meant the first part. But I never expected you to go through with it, I didn't want you to. I even went through hell to have them postpone the match for three days after you went missing. I thought you'd come back. I hoped you would come back." Ritsuko explained.

"If that's true, then why didn't you follow me? Why didn't you call me? You could have easily contacted me before I got on that plane."

"No, I couldn't." Ritsuko shook her head. "I chased after you when you left my office, but I couldn't catch up. I ran out of breath in the lobby so they called an ambulance and I was taken to the hospital. I stayed there for about three weeks."

"Ritsuko I can't believe that, I know you weren't the fittest person in the world, but you certainly couldn't be hospitalized for so long from a little run."

"Normally no." Ritsuko suddenly became a little hesitant. "But… you see… it turns out… I was pregnant."

"You…" Yumiko looked at her old friend in disbelief. "You never told me anything about that."

"I didn't know. And after I ran down all those stairs, my body ended up inducing labor. Apparently, I was thirty weeks along and I ended up with a premature delivery. Miraculously, my baby girl came out very healthy. We were discharged after three weeks."

"How could you not know you were pregnant for so long? Gaining weight, the morning sickness… a missed period, how couldn't you have noticed all that?"

"In retrospect, I should have put everything together. I thought that I gained weight because I was eating fast food so often after I left the estate. The sickness, again I blamed partly on the fast food, as well as overworking. As for my missed period, I didn't even notice. When it came, it came. I never really put much thought into it." Ritsuko explained, slightly embarrassed by her naivety about the situation back then.

Sorting through her muddled thoughts, Yumiko paused for some time before asking, "So… who was the father? No, more importantly, what happened to the girl?"

Ritsuko smiled before gesturing, with her head, toward the dark-haired genius leaning against the wall indifferently.

"Kaname… you?" Shizuma quizzed.

"Hmm?" Kaname gave an uninterested grunt. "Ah yes, that woman is my mother, Ritsuko Kenjou formerly Kiyubi." Eying the others' expressions, at least those who were formerly unaware, she mused, "What's wrong? Is it that hard to picture me as a miracle birth?"

"Do you all know each other?" Ritsuko asked her daughter curiously.

"Yes, whoever here wasn't a past schoolmate, I've become very well acquainted with over the past twenty-four hours." Kaname smirked. "What a complicated web you've spun here, mother."

"Speaking of that…" Momomi cut in. "Aunty Ritsuko, what's the meaning of all this? I'm not concerned about all that other junk, I just want to know; exactly how are Kaname and I related?"

"I noticed that you two are quite close but just be to sure, exactly how are you two involved?"

"Momomi has been my loyal partner and lover for years now." Kaname spoke frankly.

"I can see why you're worried then-"

"Hold on, I'm still not satisfied yet." Yumiko interrupted. "I understand that you're saying that back then those were just empty words, but that doesn't change the fact that you said them anyway. Why would you ask me to give up my fight?"

Ritsuko bit her lip, averting her eyes nervously. It was the first time the cherry-head had seen this type of expression on her old friend's face. "Well, I guess it is better to tell you now. It's funny, when I got on the plane to come here, I was so confident I could go through with this. Now that I'm facing you, the words are suddenly being caught in my throat."

"Is it really something that hard to say?" Yumiko watched as tears started to well up the white-haired woman's eyes, yet another first she was able to witness here today.

"Yumiko, there's a secret I've been hiding from you from the very first day I met you. You remember Mr. Jones, the event coordinator from back then and the man you saw leaving my office on that day? He tried to bribe me into getting you to throw your fight, but when he realized money couldn't buy him his own way, he threatened to tell you. I don't know how, but he got a hold of that secret. The last thing I wanted was for you to hear it from someone else's mouth. That's why…"

Slightly shaken by this new information, Yumiko tried to remain unfazed by it, though failing miserably. "If it's so important, then why did you keep it from me all these years?"

"If I told you too early, it would've ruined everything, but now I see I've made a mess of things." Softly, as if she was trying to convince herself, she whispered. "I have to tell you. If I don't… I don't think I'll ever get an opportunity like this again."

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Sorry to cut into all the drama again. But, look on the bright side, the wait won't be long at all. I gave myself a deadline and I'm sticking to it. I have to admit though, writing this chapter and preparing the next, I really get tempted to do one of those relationship chart things and connect all the characters based on this. Even though I know it in my head, it still would be interesting to see on paper. Enough of my rambling though. Looking at this now, it's shorter than I originally thought. Anyway, the story continues next chapter, picking up right where we left off! 'Til then!_


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